Zebrus de Buen, 1930

Cooper, David, Yamaguchi, Nobuyuki, Macdonald, David, Nanova, Olga, Yudin, Viktor, Dugmore, Andrew & Kitchener, Andrew, 2021, Zebrus pallaoroi sp. nov.: a new species of goby (Actinopterygii: Gobiidae) from the Mediterranean Sea with a DNA-based phylogenetic analysis of the Gobius-lineage, Contributions to Zoology 90 (1), pp. 285-317 : 292-293

Zebrus de Buen [F.] 1930

Zebrus (subgenus of Gobius ) de Buen [F.] 1930:135, type species Gobius zebrus Risso 1827 , by original designation, monotypy, and absolute tautonymy.

Description. The genus redescription was based on the genus description of Zebrus in Miller (1977) and adjusted to fit the new species and to include additional differences vs. genus Millerigobius: Body moderately elongate; eyes dorsolateral, with interorbital space 2.1‒4.6 in eye-diameter; cranial roof covered by dorsal axial musculature; anterior nostril tubular, with a thin long tentacle on posterior rim; posterior nostril short tube adnate to the border of orbit; mouth oblique, with posterior angle below pupil; chin with small mental fold; teeth in both jaws erect, caniniform; upper jaw with enlarged outer row, intermediate irregularly scattered small teeth and two to four enlarged median posterior teeth; lower jaw with an outer row of larger teeth, intermediate irregularly scattered small teeth and a short inner row of enlarged teeth laterally ending with one to three distinct canine tooth on each side. Pectoral girdle without dermal flaps on anterior edge. Branchiostegal membrane attached along the entire lateral margin of isthmus, from immediately anterior to the pectoral margin. Pectoral fin with uppermost rays partially free from the membrane, pectoral-fin rays 16‒18. Pelvic disc complete, rounded, posterior edge before anus; pelvic anterior membrane well-developed, without lateral lobes. Caudal fin rounded, shorter than the head. Body with ctenoid scales, 29‒38 in lateral series; head and predorsal area naked; breast naked; uppermost and lowermost scales of caudal peduncle not enlarged. Cephalic lateral-line system with anterior and posterior oculoscapular and preopercular canals, with pores σ, λ, κ, ω, α, β, Ρ, Ρ1, Ρ2, and γ, δ, Ε, respectively. Seven transverse suborbital rows of sensory papillae; rows 1–4 in front of row b; rows 5 and 6 divided by row b into upper and lower segments; row 5i opposite to row 6i, row 6i extending only by a few papillae below the level of row d, row 7 above row b; row b ends anteriorly below eye, near row 4 and posteriorly distant from pore δ; anterior oculoscapular row x¹ ends anteriorly well behind pore β, opposite row z; row g not extending anteriorly beyond lateral ends of row o; snout with four median preorbital rows; no interorbital papillae. Broad pale transverse stripe across anterior nape behind eyes, if present, does not include posterior part of eyes. Vertebrae (including urostyle) 27‒28 (precaudal + caudal vertebrae: 10 + 17‒18) in presently studied material, 26‒27 according to Miller (1977); dorsal pterygiophore formula 3-22110.

Key to Zebrus species

1a. Left and right ventrolateral head ridges transversally connected on the anterior part by the short transversal ridge; snout longer than eye, its length 1.1‒1.2 of eye diameter; posterior nostril short tube, 4/5‒9/10 of anterior nostril; eyes moderately small, eye diameter is 4.3‒4.7 in head length; anterior membrane in midline depth about 2/3 of spinous ray; body with 10‒11 vertical dark brown bands present along lateral side, first in front of the first dorsal fin, last at the end of the second dorsal fin, at upper edge about equal or narrower than pale interspaces between …………..………………... Zebrus pallaoroi sp. nov.

1b. Left and right ventrolateral head ridges disconnected anteriorly by midventral flat area; snout shorter than eye, its length 0.8‒0.9 of eye diameter; posterior nostril 1/4‒2/5 of anterior nostril; eye diameter is 3.1‒4.1 in head length; anterior membrane in midline depth about 1/2 of spinous ray; 6‒9 dark vertical stripes broader or equal to pale interspaces ………………………………………………..... Z. zebrus