Ponticola bathybius (Kessler, 1877)

Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash, Ghanavi, Hamid Reza & Doadrio, Ignacio, 2020, Fig. 4 in Fig. 4 in Fig. 3 in Fig. 21. Sesarmops mora n in Paralbunea dayriti, Zoological Studies 59 (21), pp. 1-303 : 241-242

Ponticola bathybius (Kessler, 1877) – Native ( Fig. 442)

Gobius bathybius Kessler [K. F.] 1877: 17; Type locality: Svinoi Island , south of Baky, Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, 756 feet [108 Russian fathoms]. Holotype (unique): No types at ZIN.

C o m m o n n a m e: Pr: Gav mahi amagh, En: Deepwater goby.

Diagnosis: Distinguished by anterior part of nape with cycloid scales. Operculum width about equal or slightly greater than head depth at eyes, orbit equal to or slightly larger than interorbital distance, eye diameter smaller than snout, pelvic fin not reaching anal fin, except in young, anterior pelvic fin membrane with undeveloped lateral lobes. Caudal peduncle depth 30– 50% its length, D 1 with 7 rays, D 2 little smaller than D 1. Overall color semi-transparent and lateral series scales mostly 55–60.

Meristic characters: D 1: VI–VIII (VI), D 2: I 14– 16, A: I 11–14, P: 18–19, LS: 55–65, TV:?.

Distribution: Caspian Sea basin ( Fig. 443). Reported from the southeast Caspian Sea, the southwest Caspian Sea and the south-central Caspian Sea.

Taxonomy: Berg (1949) placed in Neogobius, Pinchuk et al. ( Miller 2004) in Chasar but Neilson and Stepien (2009) transferred to Ponticola .

Conservation: IUCN: Not Evaluated, PC: Least Concern. Populations of this species occur in high numbers and seem not to be affected by any major widespread threat. Therefore, we classified it as Least Concern.