Description of two new species of the genus Gobio (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from the Black Sea coast of Turkey

Abstract

The systematics of the genus Gobio, especially of the populations on the southern Black Sea coast, seems to be still far from being resolved. Seven species were recorded from the northern Black Sea coast while three species were recognized from the southern Black Sea coast. We examined in total 43 specimens from Kizilirmak River (southern Black Sea basin), 80 specimens from Coruh River (the Western Caucasus of the Black Sea basin), 14 specimens from Rioni River (the Western Caucasus of the Black Sea basin), and 6 specimens from Kherota and Shakhe Rivers (the Western Caucasus of the Black Sea basin). Based on an analysis of 32 metric and 5 meristic data as well as the number of vertebrae, we concluded that the Kizilirmak and Coruh populations are two distinct, unnamed species, and we describe them here as Gobio kizilirmakensis from the Kizilirmak River and G. artvinicus from the Coruh River.