Mudskippers, also known as jumping fish and mudskippers, are commonly found on rivers and seasides. They are commonly found in the family Spuridae. There are 25 species of mudskippers in the world. They can be classified according to their physical and behavioral characteristics. There are four species; there are mainly 3 genera and 6 species along the coast of China, namely mudskipper, giant mudskipper, blue mudskipper and giant blue mudskipper. Common species include mudskipper, giant mudskipper, and blue mudskipper. Mudskippers have gills and are true fish, an ancient group of small fish animals that are less evolved.

Mudskippers are geniuses among fish, spending much of their lives out of the water. The area where they live is covered with mangroves, and they are happy to climb up tree trunks or branches. They use their pelvic fins as suckers to grab onto trees and their pectoral fins to crawl upwards. Mudskippers have small openings around their gills that can hold a breath of water, much like we can hold a breath. They climb trees so they can stay out of the water during high tide. Basic introduction Chinese name: Mudskipper Latin scientific name: Periophthalmus?modestus Alias: Flower Jump, Jumping Fish, Mud Monkey Binary name: Periophthalmus?modestus Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrate Subphylum Class: Radial Fin Class Fish Subclass: Actinopterygians Order: Perciformes Family: Gobies Subfamily: Dorsal-eyed Gobies Subfamily: Mudskippers Tribe: Mudskippers Genus: Mudskippers Subgenus: Mudskippers Subgenus Species: Mudskippers Distribution area: Commonly found in mangrove wetland areas in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. English name: Mudskipper basic information, morphological characteristics, living environment, living habits, breeding conditions, underground caves, courtship dance, spawning chamber, towers and trenches, species classification, geographical distribution, artificial breeding, pest control, fishing, main value, Related News, Basic Information The general name for fish in the family Mudskippers, also known as jumping fish. Teleost fishes, order Perciformes. Warm-water and warm-temperature inshore small fish. Widely distributed in the west coast of Africa, Indo-Pacific waters, Australia, New Hebrides Islands, tropical and subtropical coastal shallow waters, but not native to the Americas. It is distributed along the coast of China. Morphological characteristics: Mudskippers are cylindrical, generally 10 to 20 centimeters in length and weigh 20 to 50 grams. The eyes are small and protrude above the dorsal edge of the head. The lower eyelids are well developed and the mouth is located end-to-end. There are 1 row of teeth in each jaw. The maxillary teeth are cone-shaped and 3 teeth on each side of the front are in the shape of canines. The mandibular teeth are inclined outward. , almost lying down. The back of the body is dark brown. Abdomen gray. There are 6 black strips on the dorsal side, with irregular green-brown spots all over the body. There are two dorsal fins. The first dorsal fin is very small, with only 5 fin spines. The ends of the fin spines are extended in a filamentous shape, of which the 3rd spine is the longest. ; The second dorsal fin and anal fin are both longer, with three long gray-white horizontal lines, and their lengths are roughly equal. The tail fin is wedge-shaped and wide; the pectoral fin has a yellow-green insect-like pattern. Mudskippers are small in size, with mature individuals generally measuring 80 to 90mm in length and weighing 15 to 25g; large individuals can reach 120 to 150mm in length and weighing 30 to 40g. The sides of the body are flat, the dorsal edge is straight, the ventral edge is shallowly arcuate, the caudal peduncle is higher, and the body and head are covered with small round scales. The first dorsal fin is quite high, with a short base, and has 5 extended filamentous spines; the second dorsal fin has lower rays, extending backward to the base of the caudal fin, the pelvic fin is short, and the pectoral fin and caudal fin are both pointed and round. The body is blue-brown or gray-brown, with 6 to 7 gray-black horizontal stripes on the upper part of the body along the base of the dorsal fin. There are many bright blue dots scattered on the side and head of the body, and the abdomen is white. The first dorsal fin is dark blue, and the second dorsal fin is blue. Gray, with light yellow pelvic fin and gray-black caudal fin. It is difficult to distinguish between male and female mudskippers in appearance, but the female genital pore is large, round, and red in color; the male genital pore is long and narrow. Living environment: It inhabits the brackish and fresh water waters of estuaries, near-shore tidal flats or low-tide areas with muddy bottoms. It has strong tolerance to water quality in harsh environments. It is euryhaline and likes to live in caves. The caves are generally Y-shaped and consist of tunnels, front openings and back openings. The front opening is for ingress and egress, and the rear opening is for ventilation.

It can move as lively as a lizard on land, and its pectoral fin muscle handles can move forward and backward freely, functioning as the forelimbs of reptiles. In order to enhance its ability to crawl on land, the anal fin becomes very low and the rays on the lower lobe of the caudal fin become thicker. When the pectoral fins move forward, the pelvic fins play a role in supporting the body. When it jumps a short distance, it only relies on the activity of its pectoral fins; when it jumps a distance of more than one meter, it must assist in tapping the ground with its tail. And it will only make long-distance jumps when it is impatient or frightened. Whenever the tide goes out, mudskippers jump around and chase each other on the tidal flats. The mudskipper breeding season is from April to September every year, and each parent fish can lay about 10,000 eggs. The egg position is spherical, sticky and yellow. In summer and autumn, you can see a large number of fry appearing in the estuary zone where the seawater specific gravity is below 1.015. Its growth rate is slow, and it usually takes 1 to 2 years from seedlings to adult fish.

The sexually mature individuals of mudskippers are 12 to 15 centimeters tall and weigh 30 to 40 grams. The breeding season is from April to September, and the peak period is from May to July. The eggs are naturally laid in tidal caves, where fertilized eggs are hidden deep and hatch naturally. When sexually mature, the reproductive pores of female fish are red and swollen, large and round; the genital pores of male fish are narrow, extended and pointed. The ovaries are yellow, and the eggs produced are sticky, spherical, light yellow, and transparent. Female fish can carry 10,000 to 25,000 eggs. There is a cluster of sticky threads at one end of the egg membrane, which can be attached to other objects. The egg diameter is 0.51 to 0.61 mm. The fertilized eggs are fertilized in water temperatures of 26.5 to 29.0°C and salinity of 25‰ to 27‰. , the larvae hatch out in 87 hours and can grow to 13 mm in one month. The male fish has 2 seminal vesicles, which are thin red strips on the abdominal side. Mudskippers grow very quickly. In areas with good environmental conditions and abundant benthic algae, early larvae can grow to 12 to 13 centimeters that year, reaching commercial specifications. Generally, product specifications can be reached after two years. Mudskippers generally have a lifespan of 3 to 5 years, and can live up to 7 years. We do not yet know the biological importance of towers and trenches, but we suspect that the trenches may have been used to prevent other animals from approaching their burrows, and that the towers may have been an observation point from which to observe prey or predators outside the burrow. . During the early morning period, we found mudskippers lying lazily at the entrance of the tower-shaped hole. The air at this time was 7 degrees Celsius, which was higher than the temperature inside the mudskipper cave. Mudskippers use the entrance of the cave to preheat in order to prepare for the day's "activities." Reproduction situation The breeding season of mudskippers is from April to September every year, and each parent fish can lay about 10,000 eggs. The eggs are spherical, sticky and yellow. In summer, A large number of fry can be seen in the estuary area where the seawater specific gravity is below 1.015. Their growth rate is slow, and it usually takes 1 to 2 years to grow from seedlings to adults. The mature individuals of mudskipper are 12 to 15 centimeters and weigh 30 to 30 centimeters. 40 grams, the breeding season is from April to September, and the peak period is from May to July. The eggs are naturally laid in tidal caves, and the fertilized eggs are hidden deep in them. When they are sexually mature, the reproductive pores of the female fish are red and swollen, large and round; The reproductive pore of the male fish is narrow and elongated in a pointed shape. The ovary is yellow and the eggs produced are sticky, spherical, light yellow, and transparent. The number of eggs contained in the female fish is 1 to 25,000. There is a cluster of sticky silk at one end of the egg membrane. It can be attached to other objects. The egg diameter is 0.51~0.61 mm. When the eggs are fertilized in water temperature of 26.5~29.0℃ and salinity of 25‰~27‰, the larvae will hatch in 87 hours. The spermatheca of male fish can grow to 13 mm in one month. 2 fish, in the shape of light red strips on the abdominal side. Mudskippers grow very quickly. In areas with good environmental conditions and abundant benthic algae, the early larvae can reach 12 to 13 centimeters in one year, and they can generally reach commercial size in two years. Specifications. Mudskippers generally live for 3 to 5 years, and can reach up to 7 years. Although this fish that can move on land attracted the attention of some naturalists as early as 300 years ago, it has not until now. Not many people still understand the underground lifestyle of this fish. Although mudskippers can leave the water and come to the flat shallow beaches to wander alone, for many mudskippers, an underground nest filled with water may be more beneficial to their survival. Importantly, they can lurk in holes, waiting for opportunities to launch surprise attacks on prey outside the holes. When threatened by predators, they can quickly retreat.

Distributed worldwide in the west coast of Africa, India, Pacific waters, New Hebrides Islands, tropical and subtropical coastal shallow waters (not native to the United States). Artificial breeding 1. Pond conditions The pond for breeding mudskippers is generally 2 to 10 acres. The bottom of the pond must be flat and the bottom material should be soft clay, which is conducive for mudskippers to drill holes and inhabit. The bottom of the pool should be higher than the low-tide line of the sea area to facilitate drainage of water and sunbathing. Dig a cross ditch in the center of the pool, and open a circular edge ditch along the edge of the pool to form the word "field". Generally, the ditch is 2 meters wide and about 30 centimeters deep to facilitate drainage and protect the mudskippers when drying on the flat surface. It is best to separate the inlet and drainage of the pond and connect it to the central ditch. The bottom of the pond is tilted from the inlet gate to the drainage gate. The bottom of the drainage gate should be about 20 cm lower than the bottom of the inlet gate to facilitate draining of the pond water. Escape prevention facilities are installed around the inlet and drainage gates and ponds. 2. Clean and disinfect the pond half a month before stocking, drain the pond water, and dry the pond continuously for several days until the surface becomes cracked. Then apply 75 to 100 kilograms of quicklime per acre or 30 ppm of bleaching powder (effective chlorine 32) to the entire pond. Spray to disinfect and remove harmful organisms. 3. Cultivation of bottom algae. After cleaning and disinfecting the pond, start cultivating bottom algae. The method is to apply 20 to 30 kilograms of fermented chicken manure or pig manure and 15 kilograms of rice bran per acre of pond. Algae auxins, microorganisms, oil bran, etc. can also be applied. When fertilizing, you should choose a sunny day with no wind, and sprinkle chicken manure and other materials evenly on the bottom of the pond, taking care not to accumulate. Then, add 10 to 15 centimeters of seawater. The appropriate specific gravity of seawater is 1.010 to 1.014. After 3 to 5 days, the bottom algae gradually reproduce and form an algal bed. The best algae beds are brown diatoms and tender green algae. 4. After planting the seedlings and cultivating the bottom algae, the seedlings can be released. The seeds are mainly derived from natural seedlings collected in the sea area. The selection of fry requires complete fins, complete scales, no mechanical damage, and strong vitality. The density of seedlings is controlled at 5,000 to 7,000 per mu, and the size is 200 to 240 per kilogram. Since mudskippers do not kill each other, they can be stocked in batches, and the big ones can be caught while the small ones are harvested. 5. After the seedlings are started for cultivation management, the water depth should be maintained at about 10 to 15 centimeters to keep the water clear and allow sunlight to penetrate to the bottom of the pool to facilitate photosynthesis of algae and accelerate the reproduction of bottom algae. However, after a period of cultivation, the originally cultivated bottom algae will be eaten by mudskippers, and the water quality begins to become turbid. In order to meet the growth needs of the mudskippers in the pond, the water should be drained in time to dry the bottom and fertilize so that the bottom algae can be repopulated for the mudskippers to feed. However, it is worth noting that the weather forecast should be paid attention to when draining the sun pond, otherwise the algae bed will be washed away if it rains. In addition, it is necessary to prevent harmful fish, birds, crabs, conches, etc. from harming mudskippers. Fish diseases are rare during the breeding process of mudskippers, but parasitic spores sometimes appear. The symptoms are yellow dots under the scales and epidermis. Microscopic examination shows cysts of spores. 0.5ppm "povidone iodine" can be used to treat mudskippers. Pool spill prevention. There is also a small type of sea leech that occasionally parasitizes on thin fish. In serious cases, 90-crystal "trichlorfon" 0.5ppm can be poured into the entire pond. Pest control ① Fish damage: Fish such as moray eels and sand eels will prey on mudskipper seedlings. A blocking net should be installed every time water enters to prevent them from invading the pond. ②Bird damage: Generally, birds are driven away by driving or scaring them. ③ Crab damage: Small crabs will invade the mudskipper holes to prey on mudskippers, or mudskippers will accidentally enter the crab holes and be killed for food. Therefore, the pond should be surrounded by plastic boards to prevent crabs from invading. You can also use lights to kill the pond at night. Little crab. ④Other pests: Although conches and polychaetes do not directly harm mudskippers, they compete with mudskippers for food and diatoms, so efforts must be made to get rid of them. Fishing: Big mudskippers can be caught by hand, cage and net. The hand catching method is that after the catcher finds the fish hole, he directly catches it with his hands along the hole. The disadvantage is that the catch or survival rate is low. In the cage fishing method, after the fisherman finds the fish hole, he seals the rear opening with soil, inserts the mouth of the fish cage into the front opening, and waits for the fish to come out of the front opening and enter the fish cage to capture it. The hanging net method is to take advantage of the tide habits of mudskippers. First drain the pond water to a depth of 2 cm or drain the pond. Set a hanging net at the water injection port of the fish pond. Use the rising tide to slowly fill in water. The mudskippers will swarm against the current into the hanging net. , pull the net rope to hoist the capture. Main value Mudskipper is a small edible fish with a body length of 50 to 90 mm. Its meat is delicious and its output is large, so it has certain economic value.

Mudskipper production in China is relatively high on the coastal beaches of southern Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong, with an annual output of about 200 to 300 tons. It has a short food chain, low breeding costs, low investment, few fish diseases, and is easy to grow. The live fish can withstand long-distance transportation. Although the fish is small, the meat is delicious, nutritious, and has nourishing effects. It is used in Zhejiang, Fujian, Taiwan, People all over Guangdong regard it as a nutritious food, and it is in great demand abroad. Mudskippers can be used as a breeding target for coastal tidal flats, reclamation areas, mangrove areas and fish ponds, and can also be polycultured in muddy shrimp ponds. However, in the past 10 years, due to the large-scale reclamation of coastal beaches, environmental pollution, excessive fishing, etc., resources have gradually declined. Natural seedlings are limited, and their sources are difficult and unstable, which has greatly affected the development of aquaculture. In order to protect this resource, especially during the breeding season from May to August, the fishing quantity should be limited. China conducted research on artificial breeding of mudskippers from 1972, 1982, 1986, 1988 to 1990, and obtained a certain number of hatched larvae and juvenile fish, providing scientific basis for future productive nurseries. In Japan, giant mudskippers are found around the Ariake Sea in Saga Prefecture, Kyushu, and in the shallow beaches of Isahaya Bay and the Yatsushiro Sea. Canned mudskipper is seasoned and grilled. It is a precious specialty of Saga, and the fish has been selected as the prefectural fish of Saga Prefecture. The annual output of mudskippers in Saga was 216 tons in 1964, but fell to 3 tons in 1985 due to overfishing. In order to save the mudskipper resources, fishing restrictions, closed fishing areas and closed fishing periods were established in 1986, and research on artificial hatching and seedling cultivation was carried out. In 1989, Saga successfully released 14,000 artificially cultivated seedlings into the Hekkaku River estuary area to increase the amount of mudskipper resources. In this way, Japan's mudskipper resources are expected to recover soon. Mudskipper related news From March 14 to 15, 2013, people were poisoned by eating mudskippers in Yingli and other towns in Leizhou City and nearby farms. Wu Feihuai, a villager who was poisoned in Dingman Village, Yingli Town, Leizhou City, and was being treated at Zhanjiang Nongken Second Hospital, said that on the afternoon of March 14, 2013, he bought half a catty of fresh bouncing fish from the Yingli Town market. After cooking it, the couple Shortly after eating, the two developed symptoms such as dizziness, vomiting, and numbness in their hands and feet. When walking, he staggers as if drunk. "I felt that I might be poisoned by eating fish, so I immediately asked for help from the Yingli Town Health Center." Wu Feihuai said that that night, doctors from the town health center found that they were deeply poisoned and sent them to Nongken Hospital overnight. "This kind of jumping fish is highly toxic. I spit out the fish bones on the floor, and several chickens at home ate them, and all of them were poisoned and died!" Wang Mumei, an employee of Xingfu Farm, said that he bought jumping fish at Xingfu Farm Market that afternoon. Just a few hours after eating, his mouth tightened, his hands and feet were numb, and his mind was unclear. His family rushed him to the hospital for emergency treatment, and he slowly regained consciousness. When talking about the poisoning, Wang Mumei still has lingering fears. Huang Qingyu, an employee of Xingfu Farm, said that three members of his family were poisoned to varying degrees after eating "jumping fish". His wife and mother were severely poisoned, and they are still receiving treatment in the hospital. As of March 17, 2013, the local hospital had admitted 21 poisoned patients for hospital treatment. One of the poisoned patients deteriorated and was sent to the intensive care unit for treatment, while 4 other patients recovered and were discharged. On the day of the incident, after the city's main leaders learned of the situation, they immediately assigned the city's Health Bureau, Ocean and Fisheries Bureau, Industry and Commerce Bureau, Public Security Bureau, and Food Hygiene Administration to quickly intervene in the investigation and provide treatment for the poisoned people. As of March 17, 2013, the condition of the poisoned patient who was sent to the hospital for treatment was stable and his life was not in danger. Later, the Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention determined that the "culprit" of this incident was not the "skipper" (also known as mudskipper, a type of goby), but the cloud-spotted naked-cheeked goby that contained tetrodotoxin. The cloud-spotted naked-cheeked goby is a small poisonous fish along the warm water coast. The toxin it contains is tetrodotoxin, and its skin is the most toxic part. The highest levels of poison are found in winter and early spring.