Corcyrogobius liechtensteini ( Kolombatović, 1891 ), Benthic

Kovačić, Marcelo, Renoult, Julien P., Pillon, Roberto, Svensen, Rudolf, Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Engin, Semih & Louisy, Patrick, 2022, Identification of Mediterranean marine gobies (Actinopterygii: Gobiidae) of the continental shelf from photographs of in situ individuals, Zootaxa 5144 (1), pp. 1-103 : 46

Corcyrogobius liechtensteini ( Kolombatović, 1891) ( Fig. 21 )—Liechtenstein’s Goby

Gobius liechtensteini Kolombatović, 1891: 25 ; type locality: Adriatic Sea , Croatia, Korčula .

Size. Reaches 2.5 cm total length (Miller 1986).

Morphology. D VI + I,9; A I,7–9; P 15–16. A very small species with a somewhat elongated body; head not particularly flattened. Caudal peduncle deep, almost as high as body. Caudal fin rounded. First dorsal fin pointed (first spine longest), at least in males ( Miller 1972; Miller 1986; Ahnelt et al. 1994; Herler et al. 1999a; Louisy 2015).

Live coloration. Background coloration brick red (may vary from dark reddish brown to orangish brown, rarely yellowish) with numerous narrow, transverse, bright blue to dark blue bars (usually 10 to 15 visible on body), becoming more irregular on top of head ( Fig. 21 ). Head sometimes darker, especially in males. Three continuous pale to bluish, more or less radiating bars extend from lower eye to underside of head ( Fig. 20a ). When present, dark branchiostegal spots located on lower head below each opercle are diagnostic ( Fig. 21 ). Anterior nostril tube not contrastingly white. Dorsal fins usually bear rows of dark reddish spots that may coalesce in slightly oblique lines ( Ahnelt et al. 1994; Ahnelt & Patzner 1996; Herler et al. 1999a; Louisy 2015). Scales visible on body only by reticulate pattern of pigmentation along scale edges.

Similar species. Odondebuenia balearica , Vanneaugobius dollfusi .

Habitat. Infralittoral and circalittoral species known from 0.5 to about 40 m depth, being most common in 3–25 m depth. It is mostly found in sciaphilous areas of bedrock habitats, mainly on the walls and ceilings of caves, cavities or overhangs. The species has also occasionally been observed or collected below stones, in coralligenous habitats or on coralline grounds ( Patzner 1999a; Francour et al. 2010; Kovačicì et al. 2012a; Louisy 2015; Bilecenoğlu 2016; Engin et al. 2018a; Ragkousis et al. 2021).

Geographic distribution. Northern Mediterranean, known from the Balearic Islands ( Ahnelt et al. 1994; Ahnelt & Patzner 1996) to the Aegean Sea (Kovačić et al. 2011; Gerovasileiou et al. 2015; Bilecenoğlu 2016; Engin et al. 2018; Ragkousis et al. 2021), including France at Marseilles ( Scsepka & Ahnelt 1999), Corsica ( Francour et al. 2010), French Riviera ( Menut et al. 2019), Tyrrhenian Sea, Elba ( Ahnelt et al. 1998) and Adriatic Sea ( Kovačić et al. 2012b).

Figures

FIGURE 20. Three pale, uninterrupted bars (marked with numbers) extending downwards from eye radiating downwards from eye to ventral side: A) C. liechtensteini, B) G. steinitzi. Photos by M. Kovačić (fishes photographed in a tank).

FIGURE 21. Live coloration in its natural habitat of Corcyrogobius liechtensteini (Kolombatović, 1891). Photo by S. Le Bris, Marseille, Southern France.