Gobies (Teleostei: Gobiidae) of the oldest and deepest Caspian Sea sub-basin: an evidence-based annotated checklist and a key for species identification Author Zarei, Fatah 0000-0001-5552-4301 Ichthyology and Molecular Systematics Research Laboratory, Zoology Section, Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran. & fataahzarei @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 5552 - 4301 fataahzarei@gmail.com Author Esmaeili, Hamid Reza 0000-0002-9736-397X Ichthyology and Molecular Systematics Research Laboratory, Zoology Section, Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran. & hresmaeili @ shirazu. ac. ir; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 9736 - 397 X hresmaeili@shirazu.ac.ir Author Abbasi, Keyvan Inland Waters Aquaculture Research Center, Iranian Fisheries Sciences Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization, Bandar Anzali, Iran. Author Kovačić, Marcelo Natural History Museum Rijeka, Lorenzov prolaz 1, HR- 51000 Rijeka, Croatia. Author Schliewen, Ulrich K. 0000-0003-0187-4319 SNSB-Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, Department of Ichthyology, Münchhausenstr. 21, 81247 München, Germany. schliewen @ snsb. de; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 0187 - 4319 schliewen@snsb.de Author Stepien, Carol A. 0000-0002-5544-4333 National Museum of Natural History, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D. C, USA. StepienCA @ si. edu; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 5544 - 4333 text Zootaxa 2022 2022-09-28 5190 2 151 193 journal article 153839 10.11646/zootaxa.5190.2.1 60faa853-726d-4b71-a3cb-c21a0087515f 1175-5326 7120060 92BFDA7A-28C0-4816-8A91-CFB842C95E96

TABLE 3. Native gobiid species of the Caspian Sea basin by sub-basin/area. *= sub-basin/area endemic species.

	Species	South	Middle	North	South+Middle	Middle+North
1	Anatirostrum profundorum	*			*
2	Babka gymnotrachelus					
3	Benthophiloides brauneri				
4	Benthophiloides turcomanus	*			*
5	Benthophilus abdurahmanovi					*
	Ragimov, 1978
6	Benthophilus baeri					
7	Benthophilus casachicus					
8	Benthophilus ctenolepidus	*			*
9	Benthophilus granulosus					
10	Benthophilus grimmi				*	
11	Benthophilus kessleri				*	
12	Benthophilus leobergius					
13	Benthophilus leptocephalus				*	
14	Benthophilus leptorhynchus				*	
15	Benthophilus macrocephalus					
16	Benthophilus mahmudbejovi					
17	Benthophilus persicus	*			*
18	Benthophilus pinchuki	*			*
19	Benthophilus ragimovi				*	
20	Benthophilus spinosus					
21	Benthophilus svetovidovi				*	
22	Caspiosoma caspium					
	(Kessler, 1877)
23	Hyrcanogobius bergi					
24	Knipowitschia caucasica					
25	Knipowitschia iljini					
26	Knipowitschia longecaudata					
27	Mesogobius nigronotatus					*
28	Mesogobius nonultimus					
29	Neogobius bathybius					
30	Neogobius caspius					
31	Neogobius melanostomus					
32	Neogobius pallasi					
33	Ponticola cyrius	*			*
34	Ponticola goebelii				*
35	Ponticola gorlap					
36	Ponticola iljini					*
	(Vasil’eva & Vasil’ev, 1996)
37	Ponticola iranicus	*			*
38	Ponticola hircaniesis	*			*
39	Ponticola patimari	*			*
40	Ponticola syrman					
41	Proterorhinus nasalis	*			*
42	Proterorhinus semipellucidus					*
	(Kessler, 1877)