Chromogobius zebratus (Kolombatović, 1891) (Fig. 25)—Kolombatovic’s Goby

Gobius depressus var. zebratus Kolombatović, 1891: 27; type locality: Adriatic Sea, Dalmatia.

Size. Maximum size 6.2 cm total length (Alberto & Nieto 1993).

Morphology. D VI + I,11; A I,9–10; P 15–17 (Miller 1971, Alberto & Nieto 1993). Head clearly depressed (distinctly dorsoventrally flattened), head and predorsal profile horizontal (Fig. 23a). Snout prominent and mouth opening upwards (Fig. 23a). Caudal peduncle deep, almost as deep as body. Dorsal fins of similar height, the first dorsal fin may be slightly higher in appearance, with more or less rounded shape and no elongate spines. Caudal fin rounded. Scales present, small, at best visible on body as pattern of pale dots.

Live coloration. Body pale brown with a broad, pale to dusky bar on predorsal area extending ventrally on pectoral-fin base, and 5 or 6 faint pale saddles, distinctly to poorly visible, from origin of the first dorsal fin to just behind second dorsal fin, usually continuing to below side as faint bars half the width of dark interspaces (Fig. 25); cheeks pale with 2 oblique dark bands radiating downwards from eye in the shape of an inverted V or a triangular mark (Fig. 23b); base of pectoral fin with a narrow black bar preceded by a white or yellowish bar across fin rays (Miller 1971).

Similar species. Chromogobius quadrivittatus .

Habitat. Infralittoral species, known from 0.5–20 m depth on rocky shores. Inside boulder fields, clefts, cavities, also under individual stones and boulders of various size (Kovačić 1997; Engin & Dalgýç 2008; Patzner 2021), and in intertidal pools (Alberto & Nieto 1993).

Geographic distribution. Northeastern Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black Sea. Northeastern Atlantic near Gibraltar (Alberto & Nieto 1993). In the Mediterranean Sea, there are records from western Mediterranean (Bouchereau & Tomasini 1989; Iglésias et al. 2020), Sicily (Miller 1986), Malta (Kovačić & Schembri 2019), Adriatic Sea, Aegean Sea, Levant (Miller 1986). The species is also known from the Black Sea (Engin & Dalgýç 2008; Boltachev & Karpova 2017).