Journal of
Applied Ichthyology
J. Appl. Ichthyol. 27 (2011), 1128–1130
" 2011 Blackwell Verlag, Berlin
ISSN 0175–8659
Short communication
On the occurrence of the rare deepwater gobiid fish Gobius gasteveni Miller,
1974 in the western Mediterranean (Italy)
By H. Ahnelt1, J. Löffler1, G. A. C. Balma2 and G. B. Delmastro2
1
University of Vienna, Department of Theoretical Biology, Vienna, Austria; 2Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Carmagnola,
Carmagnola (TO), Italy
Introduction
Marine biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea is in the process
of change. This is often linked to climate change and
consequently to the occurrence of exotic species or to their
range extension (Bianchi and Morri, 2000; Quignard and
Tomasini, 2000). Exotics are also introduced by ships, mostly
via ballast water (Galil, 2009). Nevertheless, for small and
economically unimportant species like gobies it is often difficult
to determine whether a new record indicates range expansion or
if it had been overlooked previously. Museum samples collected
in past decades or even centuries play an important role in the
documentation of biodiversity (Kovacic and Golani, 2007; Liu
et al., 2009). Additionally, most data on gobiid fishes are
available from species occurring in shallow waters (Miller,
1986; Kovacic, 2001), with virtually nothing known on gobies
that settle in deep waters (Ahnelt and Dorda, 2004).
Gobius gasteveni Miller, 1974 is representative of such a rare
gobiid fish from deeper waters. Originally described from the
English Channel, this goby has been subsequently reported
from the Atlantic coast of Spain and Portugal, Madeira and
the Canaries (summarized in Alberto et al., 1999 and Beldade
et al., 2007). In the Mediterranean it is known in only two
western locations, near the Alboran and Balearic islands,
respectively (Ahnelt and Dorda, 2004). The specimens from
the Golfo di Genova (Gulf of Genoa) represent the third and
most eastern record in the Mediterranean Sea (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1. Map of the Mediterranean Sea showing previous records (full circles) and the new record (triangle) of Gobius gasteveni. Squares indicate
records on continental Europe
U.S. Copyright Clearance Centre Code Statement: 0175–8659/2011/2704–1128$15.00/0
Received: July 4, 2010
Accepted: October 25, 2010
doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0426.2011.01753.x
Materials and methods
On 14 July 1990, two G. gasteveni females 42.0 and 45.8 mm
SL and two males 50.0 and 52.9 mm SL were collected by seine
net in the Gulfo di Genova, off Cap Noli (44!11¢30¢¢N,
8!26¢40E) at a depth between 70 and 120 m on partly sandy,
partly muddy bottom by G.A.C. Balma, E. Biglia and I.
Cavanna. Sex of the preserved specimens was determined by
the shape of the urogenital papillae: long and pointed in males
and short and wide in females. Measurements were made with
a calliper to the nearest 0.1mm. Specimens were deposited at
the Natural History Museum of Vienna (NMW 99807) and in
the private collection of G.A.C. Balma and G.B. Delmastro.
Results and discussion
Description of Gobius gasteveni: Anterior nostrils short,
tubular; posterior nostril a transverse pore close to anterior
border of the eye; pectoral fin with the tips of the dorsal-most
fin rays free from membrane; pelvic disc complete, with the
posterior edge emarginated (fourth ray slightly longer than
fifth ray), anterior membrane height in midline about one-third
of spinous ray; middle rays of first dorsal fin longest; rear tips
of second dorsal fin and anal fin reaching the dorsal and
ventral origins of caudal fin, respectively; branchiostegal
membrane attached to side of isthmus. Body proportions are
given in Table 1.
Occurrence of rare Gobius gasteveni in the western Mediterranean 1129

Table 1
Body proportions of Gobius gasteveni; Measurements (mm) and counts Gobius gasteveni
M – male, F – female. Data in mm and
percentage of standard length Sex M M F F
Standard length (mm) 50.0 52.9 45.8 42.0

Head length 14.0 14.8 14.1 13.7

28.1% 28.0% 30.8% 32.7%
Head width 6.8 7.0 6.8 6.3
13.7% 13.2% 14.8% 15.1%
Snout to origin of first dorsal fin 16.8 17.3 17.0 15.9
33.6% 32.7% 37.1% 37.8%
Snout to origin of second dorsal fin 24.1 25.0 26.0 24.7
48.3% 47.2% 56.7% 58.9%
Snout to origin of anus 25.1 26.1 24.9 23.2
50.2% 49.4% 54.4% 55.1%
Snout to vertical of anal fin origin 27.4 29.2 27.0 25.2
54.7% 55.1% 58.9% 60.0%
Snout to vertical of pelvic spinous ray 14.3 15.8 13.8 13.7
25.6% 29.9% 30.2% 32.7%
Caudal peduncle length 8.4 9.9 8.2 8.0
16.8% 18.7% 17.9% 19.1%
Length of first dorsal fin base 5.9 6.1 5.7 5.0
11.8% 11.6% 12.4% 11.9%
Length of second dorsal fin base 14.5 15.0 14.6 14.0
29.0% 28.4% 31.8% 33.3%
Length of anal fin base 12.2 12.8 11.9 11.2
24.38% 24.2% 26.0% 26.7%
Caudal fin length 11.2 12.5 11.5 11.0
22.3% 23.6% 25.1% 26.1%
Pectoral fin length 12.1 12.3 11.7 10.9
24.2% 23.3% 25.5% 26.0%
Pelvic fin length 10.2 10.6 10.6 10.2
20.5% 20.0% 23.1% 24.2%
Body depth at origin of pelvic spinous ray 7.5 8.7 7.2 7.1
15.0% 16.4% 15.7% 16.9%
Body depth 7.4 8.1 7.1 6.9
14.8% 15.2% 15.6% 16.3%
Body width 5.7 5.5 4.9 4.7
11.4% 10.4% 10.6% 11.2%
Caudal peduncle length 5.0 5.1 4.6 4.1
10.0% 9.7% 10.0% 9.8%
Origin of pelvic spine to anus 11.2 11.8 10.8 10.0
22.4% 22.3% 23.7% 23.9%
First dorsal fin VI VI VI VI
Second dorsal fin I ⁄ 14 I ⁄ 14 I ⁄ 14 I ⁄ 14
Anal fin I ⁄ 13 I ⁄ 13 I ⁄ 13 I ⁄ 12
Pectoral fin 20 20 20 20
Pelvic fin (sucking disc) I⁄5+5⁄I I⁄5+5⁄I I⁄5+5⁄I I⁄5+5⁄I
Caudal fin principle rays 16 16 17 17
Caudal fin branched rays 14 14 15 15
Scales in longitudinal series 44 45 43 44
Scales in transversal series 12 11 11 11

Rays of the first dorsal fin elongated, with middle rays
longest and reaching, when depressed, close to the origin of the
second dorsal fin in females and to the third or fourth ray of
the second dorsal fin in males. Body predominantly covered
with ctenoid scales but predorsal area, nape, breast and lobe of
pectoral fin covered by small scales without ctenii; naked
opercle and cheek. The pattern of the lateral-line system is
within the range for the North-eastern Atlantic populations
(summarized in Alberto et al., 1999).
Coloration: preserved specimens fawn-colored with six dark
spots along the lateral midline; head with light dots on cheek
and opercle, and distinct in males; first and second dorsal fins,
anal fin and pelvic disc dark in males (nuptial coloration),
pectoral fin and caudal fin hyaline; dark L-shaped blotch
longer than broader at origin of pectoral fin.
In the Mediterranean Sea G. gasteveni was heretofore
known from only two sites: off Alboran Island and the
Balearic Islands; those samples were collected at depths
between 55 and 74 m (Ahnelt and Dorda, 2004). The new
record of G. gasteveni was collected at a depth between 70 and
120 m and represents the first record for the Ligurian Sea, the
first for Italy, and the eastern-most in the Mediterranean Sea.
We do not assume that the occurrence of G. gasteveni in the
Ligurian Sea represents a recent range expansion. All docu-
mented records in the Mediterranean Sea are based on
museum samples and date back to collections from the early
1990s (Ahnelt and Dorda, 2004; present data). More likely it
was the lack of adequate sampling techniques and misidentif-
ication that G. gasteveni was previously overlooked in the
Mediterranean Sea.
References
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Author!s address: Harald Ahnelt, University of Vienna, Department
of Theoretical Biology, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090
Vienna, Austria.
E-mail: harald.ahnelt@univie.ac.at