Benthophilus kessleri Berg, 1927

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 : 167

10. Benthophilus kessleri Berg, 1927 , Kessler’s Tadpole Goby

Benthophilus grimmi var. kessleri Berg, 1927: 343 ; type locality: Caspian Sea , 41°51’N; 2°15’E of Baku, depth 75 m; lectotype: ZISP [= ZIN] 53670 [ex 24349], paralectotypes: (10) ZIN 24349 (now 6).

Etymology: Named for K.F. Kessler, the nineteenth century investigator of Ponto-Caspian fishes.

Distribution and habitat: Coastal waters of the eastern Middle Caspian Sea from Urdyuk Cape south to Kuuli Cape and Krasnovodsk, northeastern South Caspian Sea ( Fig. 11B ). Reported from 25–74 m depth and 11.5– 13.2 ‰ salinity ( Boldyrev & Bogutskaya 2007).

IUCN: LC ( Bogutskaya 2020e).

Figures

FIGURE 11. Distribution of (A) Benthophilus granulosus, Benthophilus leptorhynchus, Benthophilus grimmi and Benthophilus svetovidovi, (B) Benthophilus leobergius, Benthophilus microcephalus and Benthophilus kessleri and (C) Benthophilus mahmudbejovi, Benthophilus ragimovi and Benthophilus spinosus.