Vanderhorstia mertensi Klausewitz, 1974

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 : 87-88

Vanderhorstia mertensi Klausewitz, 1974 ( Fig. 4 )—Mertens’ Shrimpgoby

Vanderhorstia mertensi Klausewitz, 1974: 210 ; type locality: Red Sea , Gulf of Aqaba, Egypt, Marsa Murach .

Size. Largest specimen 9.8 cm total length.

Morphology. D VI +I,16;A I,17–18; P18. Body slender,its depth 6.2–7.3 in standard length.Head subcylindrical, with short snout and large eyes elevated above dorsal profile. Caudal peduncle deep, but lower than body depth, and short compared to the elongate body shape. First dorsal fin moderately high, the fourth spine the longest, the third to fifth spines filamentous. Pelvic fins united, not reaching anus. Caudal fin lanceolate, longer than head length ( Goren 1979). Scales visible on body only from reticulate pigmentation along scale edges, no scales on head and predorsal area.

Live coloration. Body pale to grayish blue-green dorsally, most scales with a blackish edge and a yellow spot varying from semicircular to covering most of scale, grading to white on abdomen; yellow-spotted scales grouping anteriorly into vertically elongate yellow blotches; 5 large dark brown spots in a longitudinal row on side of body, some of them diffuse ( Fig. 4 ), the first below first dorsal fin and vertically elongate. A small black spot behind upper end of gill opening, and another of the same size dorsally on opercle. Head and nape with numerous dark-edged yellow spots. First dorsal fin with 2 rows of large yellow-orange spots. Second dorsal and caudal fins with yellow spots basally on membranes.

Similar species. Cryptocentrus caeruleopunctatus , C. steinhardti .

Habitat. Inhabits silty sand bottom in bays and lagoons at depths of 2–52 m (deepest record from the Mediterranean). Lives in symbiotic association with a snapping shrimp ( Alpheus sp. ) ( Louisy 2015; Louisy et al. 2016; Tiralongo & Pillon 2019).

Geographic distribution. Known from the Red Sea to the Gulf of Oman. In the Mediterranean it has been recorded in Greece ( Tiralongo & Pillon 2019), Israel ( Goren et al. 2013) and Turkey (Bilecenoğlu et al. 2008).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Live coloration in its natural habitat of Vanderhorstia mertensi. Photo by R. Pillon, Kondyli beach, Peloponnese, Greece.