Common names:

* proposed name

Synonyms:

*In: Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1837

Etymology:
'Boleophthalmus' is from the Greek metaphorical expression 'bolê ophthalmôn', quick glances, which refers to the rapid movements of the eyes, or to the 'blinking' behaviour

'pectinirostris' is a compound Latin form, from 'pecten' (comb, rake) and 'rostrum' (beak, snout), which probably refers to the incised teeth of the mandible

Maximum recorded length:
155 mm SL (Murdy, 1989)

Live colouration (Murdy, 1989, various sources):
ground colour greenish grey; head with numerous small pale blue speckles, while few sky blue speckles are present on trunk; 1-6 dorsal dark blotches are sometimes visible on flanks, well above the lateral midline (e.g. see photos: K); D1 greenish grey with numerous small pale blue spots; larger spots may be present basally on fin; D2 greenish grey with columns of 5-8 pale blue spots between rays; the dark dorsal blotches on flanks can extend onto D2 base; caudal fin greenish grey with numerous pale blue spots; anal fin with orange tint proximally, distally transparent; muscular base of pectoral fins with small pale blue speckles; pectoral fins dusky for the rest; pelvic fins dusky

Colouration on preservation (Murdy, 1989; pers. obs.):
ground colour whitish to tan brown; dorsal and caudal fins bluish, all other ones light brown; spotting pattern often retained only on fins; on some specimens, 1-4 diagonal dark bands are visible on dorsum on posterior part of body; some with large, dark brown blotches on head

Diagnosis (Murdy, 1989):
total elements of D2 23-26; first D2 element usually segmented and branched; longitudinal scale count 84-123; predorsal scales 26-48; caudal fin length 18.3-22.2%SL; head length 24.3-28.0%SL; length of D2 base 41.5-46.1%SL; lower jaw teeth notched (bifid).
Species-specific sexual dimorphism: D1 spines more elongated in females.
The genus is characterised by the greatly thickened epidermis of the head and dorsum, covered by dermal papillae; and by a rectangular piece of cartilage spanning the width of the pelvic girdle (see drawing)

Diet:
benthic feeder, herbivorous, feeding on microalgal assemblages (Yang, 1996; Yang et al., 2003). Also the bacterial flora of the gut of these fishes has been investigated (Morii & Kasama, 1989; 1990).
All congeneric species present almost identical feeding behaviours and probably have very similar diets

Reproduction:
males jump to attract females inside the burrows to spawn.
According to Yuko Ikebe, sex in this species can be discriminated by observing D1 spines in adults: the 2nd spine is always elongated in females, while it is not in males.
This species was artificially propagated through induced ovulation and larval rearing ( Chen & Ting, 1986; Chung et al., 1991; Hong et al., 1988; Hong & Wang, 1989; Zhang et al., 1987; Zhang et al., 1989; Zhang & Zhang, 1988).
Age and growth were studied through the analysis of the radials of pectoral fins ( Washio et al., 1991; Nanami & Takegaki, 2005)

left: female

right: male

(Photos modified from MudskipperWorld, by Yuko Ikebe)

Ecological notes:
locally very abundant on open mudflats.
During winter, fishes living in Southern Japan hybernate, laying at the bottom of their deep burrows

left: typical habitat of B. pectinirostris: the main openings of the fishes' burrows are visible (Japan, Saga Prefecture, Ariake Sea)

right: resin cast of a burrow of an adult: note the "Y" shape with two openings; the whole burrow was about 1.5 m deep

(Photos: modified from Hiro Masa Matsumoto, 1999)

Distribution:
Taiwan, China and Southern Japan; type locality: Canton, China (Murdy, 1989).
Its presence is dubious in South-East Asia and Indonesia. Possibly sympatric with congeneric B. dussumieri and/or B. boddarti in the South-China Sea

left: an example of "mudskipper architecture"

right: a wooden decoration inspired by the "mutsugoro"

(Photos: modified from Hiro Masa Matsumoto: Saga prefecture, Japan, 1999)

Remarks:
this species is extensively farmed and consumed in Japan, Taiwan and Southern China, where it is considered as a culinary delicacy (Clayton, 1993). In Japan this fish is very popular, and it is captured by a traditional fishing method called mutsukake, handed down from father to son. The most important tools are a very long rod, a harpoon-like hook and a sort of mud-slide called oshiita. Another technique consists in some bamboo traps that simulate the fishes' burrows and are deeply inserted into the mud

left: hook (by Hiro Masa Matsumoto, 1999)

middle: traditional Japanese traps (by Hiro Masa Matsumoto, 1999)

right: a fisherman on an oshiita collecting mutsugoro (© Ariake lawsuit, 2007)

Photographsof Boleophthalmus pectinirostris:

A: B. pectinirostris in aquarium (photo: © fishing-forum, Kumamoto prefecture, Japan, 2003); B: a female; C: a specimen emerging from its burrow; D: another close-up: feeding; E: an agonistic encounter between two males; F, G: jumping reproductive males (photos B-G: © BlueNativeFactory, Ariake Sea, Japan, 2006)*; H, I: two other shots of jumping males, right in the moment when they push with their tail (photos: Y. Ikebe, Ariake Sea, Japan, 2003); J: another close-up (photo: Ching K., Hong Kong, China, 2003); K: a specimen bought in a market (photo: Ray Cui, Guangzhou, China, 2006)*; L: 6 days old eggs (photo: Hiro Masa Matsumoto, 1999) - * with permission

Drawings of Boleophthalmus pectinirostris:

above, left: from fishbase; above, middle: Gobius pectinirostris Linnaeus 1758, the first scientific drawing of a mudskipper (Linnaeus, 1759: detail of fig. 3, p. 260) Göttinger Digitalisierungs - Zentrum, Goettingen State and University Library*; visited: 08/2007); above, right: cephalic sensory and nasal pores of Boleophthalmus spp.: an= anterior nostril; ao= anterior oculoscapular canal pore; pn= posterior nostril (modified from Murdy, 1989)*; below, left: a Korean specimen, from Kim, 1997 (fishbase); below, right: ventral view of pelvis of B. boddarti (pelvic fin elements removed from left side: modified from Murdy, 1989)*: PIC= pelvic intercleithral cartilage; Plv= pelvis; RC= rectangular cartilage; Plsp= pelvic fin spine - * with permission