Bulokot (Sleeper Goby)

Bostrychus expatria is a small fish reaching a length of 14.4 centimetres (5.7 in). They appear as standard members of their family, with non-hydrodynamically-shaped bodies typical of bottom-dwelling fish. It possesses two completely separate dorsal fins, the first one supported by spines. The caudal fin is truncately-shaped, usually not much thicker than the peduncle itself. Its eyes are located dorsally, another trait commonly seen in benthic fish. Owing to the remoteness of its habitat, there have been extremely few studies on this species. The few ones that have been done describe the fish as a benthic species, spending much of its time resting on the lake's bottom. Despite its size, B. expatriata is predatory, known to feed mostly on the small crustaceans that make the lake's muddy bottom their home. It has also been known to ingest small fishes.As a small freshwater fish in an island with rich marine resources, B. expatria has no known commercial value. The fish may be caught as bycatch by small cast nets as fishing in the lake is done by the local population. It is known as bulokot by the natives living around the lake.This Bostrychus Expatria belongs to Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Chordata. Under Class Actinopterygii. Order Peciformes means largest order of vertebrates, containing about 41% of all bony fish. Perciformes means "perch-like". From the Family of Eleotridae means sleeper. Genus Bostrychus, means a genus of sleeper gobies mostly native to eastern Asia to Australia with one species being found along the Atlantic coast of Africa. Species B. Expatria.

Gross Morphology

The fish’s size is within a length of 14.4 cm. Their eyes are located dorsally. They have two completely separated dorsal fins. The first one is supported by the spine and the caudal fin is truncately-shaped. It has an oval-shaped tail and a non hydrodynamically-shaped bodies.

Animal Description

They are endemic to Lake Manguao, Taytay, Palawan. In mating, male releases sperm into the water at the same time that the female expels her eggs nearby, so that fertilization occurs outside the female’s body. They embrace with their fins to increase chance of fertilization. They lay hundreds of eggs and small portion will hatch 36 hours after. Like typical fish, they breathe through their gills and excrete gaseous waste. They defecate from the hindgut exists via anal sphincter. Their mainly feed on smaller crustaceans, and fishes.

Taxonomical Classification