Benthophilus pinchuki Ragimov, 1982

Jouladeh-Roudbar, Arash, Ghanavi, Hamid Reza & Doadrio, Ignacio, 2020, Fig. 4 in Fig. 4 in Fig. 3 in Fig. 21. Sesarmops mora n in Paralbunea dayriti, Zoological Studies 59 (21), pp. 1-303 : 230

Benthophilus pinchuki Ragimov, 1982 – Native

Benthophilus ctenolepidus pinchuki Ragimov [D. B.] 1982: 49; Type locality: Off Belyy Bugor, 37°40'N, southeastern Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan, depth 30 m. Holotype: ZISP 53569 [ex IZA]. Paratypes: IZA 304 (8), ZISP 53660 [ex IZA 304] (6).

Common name: Pr: Gavmahi Pinchuk, En: Pinchuk’s tadpole goby.

Diagnosis: Distinguished from the other species (except B. ragimovi ) by having the highest number of tubercles in dorsal row, which is complete, 30–33, usually 31–32 vs. 21–31, usually 23–30) and highest numbers of total vertebrae, 30–32, and caudal vertebrae, 21–23 (vs. respectively, 26–31, commonly 27–30, and 77–21). It is differs by mouth width 40–47% HL (vs. 47–58), on temporal and occipital head regions medial groove well-developed (vs. shallow, usually developed only between eyes), granules few and scattered, absent from medial groove (vs. densely-set on whole upper head surface including medial groove), several anterior tubercles of dorsal row of similar size with following ones (vs. smaller than following ones), and ventrolateral row absent or with few tubercles in ventrolateral row (vs. with 16–19 small tubercles).

Meristic characters: D 1: III–IV (IV), D 2: I 9–11 (10), A: I 8–10 (9), P: 15–17 (16), TV: 30–32 (31), PF: 3–221*01*1*1, 3–221*01*1*02.

Distribution: Caspian basin ( Fig. 424). Found on the western coasts of the Middle and South Caspian and the Volga delta region.

Taxonomy: Coad (1995) placed pinchuki in Benthophilus ctenolepidus as subspecies but Pinchuk and Miller in Miller (2004) regard as full species.

Conservation: IUCN: Not Evaluated, PC: Data Deficient. There are not enough data on this species to accurately evaluate its conservation status.