Shuttles Hoppfish (Periophthalmus modestus) Care Guide
Periophthalmus modestus is a small East Asian mudskipper of temperate estuaries, kept in cooler brackish paludariums with a land area.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Periophthalmus modestus, the Shuttles Hoppfish, is a small mudskipper from temperate East Asian estuaries. It reaches about 10 cm total length and is notable for tolerating air exposure for extended periods as long as it is kept moist.
Taxonomy
- Family: Oxudercidae
- Genus: Periophthalmus
- Scientific name: Periophthalmus modestus
- Described by Cantor, 1842
Habitat
It is native to fresh, marine and brackish waters of the western Pacific from Vietnam to Korea and Japan, and is also recorded from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. It inhabits muddy estuaries, tidal flats, swamps and marshes, often in mangrove wetlands.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 80 L (about 21 gal) paludarium with land area
- Temperature: 18-26 °C (64-79 °F)
- pH: 7.5-8.5
- GH: 15-30 °dGH
- Lifespan: 4-7 years
Compatibility
A top-dwelling, semi-aggressive amphibious fish best kept with other mudskippers. Fully submerged community fish are unsuitable, since this species spends much time out of water.
Notes
The species is found in the aquarium trade and is also used in traditional Chinese medicine. Its tolerance of temperate conditions suits cooler brackish paludariums than tropical mudskippers.
Shuttles Hoppfish Breeding Guide
Overview
Periophthalmus modestus is a mudskipper of the family Oxudercidae native to the northwest Pacific, ranging from Vietnam north to Korea and southern Japan. It inhabits level, unvegetated mudflats, estuaries, swamps and tidal flats, and is amphidromous, tolerating marine, brackish and fresh water. Reported sexual maturity begins at roughly 4 cm. It is a burrow spawner, and reproduction takes place out of open water inside the animal's burrow, which makes it very rarely bred in home aquaria.
Breeding Setup
Reproduction in this species is tied to a self-excavated burrow in soft mud rather than to open-water tank space. A representative paludarium provides a deep, soft muddy or sandy substrate above brackish water so that a pair can dig and maintain a burrow with an air-filled chamber. Because the entire spawning sequence happens hidden inside that burrow, the conditions required to trigger and complete it are difficult to reproduce in captivity.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
Pre-spawning behaviour takes place on the mudflat surface, after which the pair retreats into the burrow. The female deposits eggs on the walls of an air-filled chamber inside the burrow, where they are fertilised. In observed cases, a female suspected of having spawned remained inside the burrow for roughly 240 to 350 minutes. Cohabitation of the male and female after spawning is brief, and the female then leaves the burrow.
Egg & Fry Care
After the female departs, the male guards the egg-filled burrow against predators. To supply oxygen to the developing eggs, the guarding male deposits mouthfuls of fresh air into the egg chamber at each low tide, increasing this behaviour when the chamber becomes hypoxic. When development is complete, on a nocturnal rising tide the male removes the air from the chamber and releases it outside the burrow; this floods the egg chamber and induces hatching.
Common Challenges
The intimate dependence of egg development on burrow-air provisioning and on a tidal hatching cue makes Periophthalmus modestus extremely difficult to breed in a home setting, and reliable amateur captive-breeding records are lacking. Documented data come largely from field and laboratory study of wild populations rather than from aquarium reproduction.