Ponticola cyrius ( Kessler, 1874 )

Zarei, Fatah, Esmaeili, Hamid Reza, Abbasi, Keyvan, Kovačić, Marcelo, Schliewen, Ulrich K. & Stepien, Carol A., 2022, Gobies (Teleostei: Gobiidae) of the oldest and deepest Caspian Sea sub-basin: an evidence-based annotated checklist and a key for species identification, Zootaxa 5190 (2), pp. 151-193 : 176-177

30. Ponticola cyrius ( Kessler, 1874) ( Fig. 26 ), Kura Goby

Gobius cyrius Kessler, 1874: 273 ; type locality: Kura River near Borzhomi, Georgia; lectotype: ZISP 2235.

Etymology: The species name cyrius means “relating to the River Kura” in Latin.

Distribution: The upper and middle courses of the Kura River basin, the South Caspian Sea sub-basin drainage ( Fig. 27A ) ( Vasil’eva & Vasil’ev 2003a). No confirmed records from Iran.

Remarks: Specimens previously identified by Ahnelt & Holčik (1996) as P. cyrius and P. iljini from Iranian rivers are conspecific with P. patimari and P. gorlap , respectively ( Zarei et al. 2021, 2022b). In Iran, it also may be present in the Aras River (= Araks River), which flows into the Kura River in Azerbaijan. Therefore, a detailed morphological and molecular analysis of Ponticola specimens from Aras should be undertaken.

Material examined: PMR VP1691, 3, Hanak, Kura River drainage basin, northeastern Turkey.

IUCN: LC ( Freyhof 2014).

Figures

FIGURE 26. Ponticola cyrius. Kura River at Yalnýzçam, northeastern Turkey. Photo by C. Kaya.

FIGURE 27. Distributions of (A) Ponticola hircaniaensis, Ponticola iranicus, Ponticola patimari, and Ponticola cyrius, (B) Ponticola gorlap, (C) Ponticola goebelii, (D) Ponticola syrman, and (E) Proterorhinus nasalis in the Caspian Sea basin.