Gobiid microCT images, featuring otoliths

Reconstructed 3D image stacks from microCT scans of 5 different species of gobiid fishes (heads only, without soft-tissue contrast enhancement). These image data accompanies the publication Ahnelt H., Metscher B., Schwarzhans W. 2026 "Does living in burrows shape the sagittal otolith of gobiid fishes (Teleostei, Gobiidae)? A comparison of species facultatively or permanently inhabiting burrows of shrimps" Journal of Vertebrate Biology. Head scans of the following species are included in this archive: Istigobius ornatus (Rüppel, 1830), the ornate goby, lives closely to the bottom, dwelling on the surface of sandy to silty areas in the seagrass bed. This species feeds on zoobenthos. Amblygobius phalaena (Valenciennes, 1837), the whitebarred goby, lives closely to the bottom and dwells on sand and coral rubble of the seagrass bed. The species of this genus are sand sifting and build temporary burrows in the sand (Zander 2012). Valenciennea sexguttata (Valenciennes, 1837), the sixspot goby, lives in pairs closely to the bottom on sandy ground in the seagrass bed. The species of this genus are sand sifting and build temporary burrows in the sand (Clark et al. 2000). Cryptocentrus cinctus (Herre, 1936), the yellow prawn-goby. The species of this genus are partner gobies of Alpheus shrimps with reduced eyes. Both, the shrimp and the goby stay in the burrow sealed by the shrimp during the night but leave it with sunrise (Karplus & Thompson 2012). Austrolethops wardi Whitley, 1935, the small-eyed goby. (juvenile and adult samples) This monotypic species is partner of the thalassinid shrimp Neaxius acanthus that builds its burrows in coral rubble of the seagrass bed. The small-eyed goby feeds on sea grass, which the shrimp transports into its burrow. The host and the goby do not leave the burrow (Kneer et al. 2008).