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FISH GUIDE · Freshwater

Languedoc gudgeon: identification, habitat and fishing guide

Gobio occitaniae

Languedoc gudgeon is a species described in 2005, distinct from common gudgeon and Lozano's gudgeon. Identification based only on the river basin or the name “gudgeon” remains insufficient.

Catalogue names : Goujon du Languedoc. Forms and names may vary between habitats.

Editorial review : · This species guide is not permission to fish. Read the precautions below and check the current rules for your location before targeting a species. Some species or populations are protected.

Geographical distribution

Documented presence includes: Garonne drainage ; French Mediterranean streams between the Rhône and the Pyrenees. This does not mean the entire Rhône drainage or every stream in the administrative region of Occitanie.

  • Documented presence : Garonne drainage
  • Documented presence : French Mediterranean streams between the Rhône and the Pyrenees

Documented areas, not an exhaustive list. Presence in a region does not imply presence in every water body or permission to fish.

Distribution sources

Identification

A rather stocky, pigmented body, scaled breast and well-forked tail are among the features described for Gobio occitaniae. Their combination and precise counts are needed; a photo does not always allow a conclusion. Do not remove scales to check.

Habitat

Watercourses of southern France, including the Garonne basin and Mediterranean rivers; FishBase describes moderate-current areas over sand. This indication proves neither the species of every catch nor exclusive presence in a basin.

Diet

UFBAG describes plankton-feeding juveniles and adults eating mainly bottom invertebrates, notably insects and molluscs.

Behaviour

Bottom-dwelling and associated with flowing water; UFBAG describes summer shelter behind vegetation, branches or roots over pebbles, gravel or sand.

Indicative biological size

Lisa Fourtune’s thesis (2018), citing Keith et al. (2011), reports a descriptive mean length of 120–150 mm for Gobio occitaniae. The length type and age class are not specified in this passage; this is not a mean calculated from the thesis catches.

Fishing context and precautions

Incidental encounter with an Occitan gudgeon: observe the scaled breast and tail without removing scales or damaging fins. These features must be combined; retain uncertainty if the image is insufficient and do not move the fish to another basin.

The Morbihan federation recommends wet hands, support without squeezing and brief air exposure. General advice, without a trial on this taxon; check local retention and release rules.

A distinctive feature

Its scientific name refers to Occitanie, within the geographical area considered when it was described.

Sources and review

Each reference includes its access date. Overall editorial review: . Local conditions and regulations may change.

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