Ponticola rizensis (Kovacic & Engin, 2008)

Ponticola rizensis View in CoL

Common name. Colchic goby.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from other species of Ponticola entering freshwater in West Asia by: ○ lateral part of upper lip distinctively swollen / ○ lower jaw prognathous / ○ predorsal area uniform brown or dark-grey / ○ first dorsal without bold, distal, dark-brown band / ○ head depressed,

wider than deep / ○ 59–73 +3 scales in midlateral series / ○ caudal peduncle depth 18–22 % of caudal peduncle length / ○ two suborbital transverse rows below suborbital longitudinal row b / ○ pelvic disc reaching 40–60 % of distance between its origin and anus / ○ pelvic-disc fraenum with angular lobes whose length is 1 ⁄ 6 – 1 ⁄ 2 of fraenum width at base. Size up to 124 mm SL.

Distribution. Türkiye: Aksu ( Giresun) east to Hopa drainages.

Habitat. Cold mountain to warm foothill streams. Not found in brackish water.

Biology. Male guard eggs in gravel or rocky burrows. Feeds mainly on small fish and a variety of invertebrates.

Conservation status. VU; appears to be slowly declining within its relatively small range.

Remarks. Molecular characters do not distinguish P. rizensis and P. turani from each other but clearly distinguish both together from P. constructor . Published morphological

Ponticola syrman ; Danube delta, Romania; ~ 100 mm SL.