Cryptocentroides arabicus ( Gmelin, 1789 )

Esmaeili, Hamid Reza, Jufaili, Saud Al, Masoumi, Amir Hassan & Zarei, Fatah, 2022, Ichthyodiversity in southeastern Arabian Peninsula: Annotated checklist taxonomy, short description and distribution of Inland fishes of Oman, Zootaxa 5134 (4), pp. 451-503 : 481-483

14. Cryptocentroides arabicus ( Gmelin, 1789) , Native

Fig. 36

Etymology: Cryptocentroides : the Greek, kryptos = hidden, kentron = sting; arabicus : refers to the Arabian Peninsula.

Common name: Arabian Goby.

Taxonomy: Gobius arabicus was originally described by Gmelin [J. F.] (ex Forsskål) 1789:1198 [Caroli a Linné ... Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae v. 1 (pt 3)] form Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Red Sea. No types known. Based on Gobius anguillaris (non Linnaeus, 1758) of Forsskål 1775:x, 23 .

Synonyms: Gobius anguillaris Forsskål (nec Linnaeus), 1775, Descr. Animalium: 23 (Jidda, Saudi Arabia, Red Sea). Misidentification of Gobius anguillaris Linnaeus, 1758 . Gobius djiddensis Bonnaterre, 1788 , Tabl. Encyclop. Méthod. Ichthyol. 64 (Red Sea). Gobius arabicus Gmelin, 1789 , Systema Naturae Linné, v. 1 (pt 3): 1198. Nomen novum, replacement name for Gobius anguillaris Forsskål, 1775 .

Short description: Comparing with eastern Australian species, C. arabicus is distinguished from its congener C. insignis by having upper edge of operculum level with that of eye (vs. upper edge of eye above that of operculum), distance between lower edge of eye and upper jaw long and curved (vs. short and straight), posterior edge of preoperculum bent forward (vs. straight), soft and spinous parts of dorsal fin slightly separated (vs. closely connected), caudal fin pointed (vs. rounded), dorsal, pectoral and caudal fins yellowish, head and body with no spots, double dark bands on body, with zigzag shape (vs all fins with blueish colour, different sizes of blue spots distributed over head and body, dark bars on body straight and obliquely located) ( Seale 1910; Jawad et al. 2021).

Distribution: Red Sea; northwestern Indian Ocean: Gulf of Aden and Socotra to Persian Gulf. Occurs in very shallow water, living in a burrow in sediment. Probably associated with alpheid shrimp.

Remarks: An established population of the Arabian Goby Cryptocentroides arabicus was discovered in one brackish water habitat (Al Bahayes), located in the inland water bodies of Oman adjacent to the shore of the Oman Sea ( Jawad et al. 2021). Here we confirm its presence in four other localities (Hasik, Mugsil, Taqa and Wadi Shab), located in the inland water bodies of Oman adjacent to the shore of the Arabian Sea (Hasik, Mugsil, Taqa) and the Oman Sea (Wadi Shab) ( Fig. 37 ).

Examained material: ZM-CBSU: O003. Ca 101,66, Oman: Al Bahayes, 23°40ʹ38ʹʹN, 58°11ʹ34ʹʹE, S.M. Al-Jufaili, Nov. 2020 .

Figures

FIGURE 36. Cryptocentroides arabicus, Oman: Hasik.

FIGURE 37. Distribution map of Cryptocentroides arabicus in Oman with three new locality records in the Wadis adjacent to the coastal area of the Arabian Sea. Pink: Southwestern Arabian Coast, green: Oman Mountains, and yellow: Arabian Interior.