Cryptocentrus caeruleopunctatus (Rüppell, 1830), Alien

Kovačić, Marcelo, Renoult, Julien P., Pillon, Roberto, Svensen, Rudolf, Bogorodsky, Sergey V., Engin, Semih & Louisy, Patrick, 2022, Identification of Mediterranean marine gobies (Actinopterygii: Gobiidae) of the continental shelf from photographs of in situ individuals, Zootaxa 5144 (1), pp. 1-103 : 47-48

Cryptocentrus caeruleopunctatus (Rüppell, 1830) ( Fig. 3 )— Red Sea Bluespotted Shrimpgoby

Gobius caeruleopunctatus Rüppell, 1830: 134 ; type locality: Red Sea, Eritrea, Massawa .

Size. Reaches 13 cm total length.

Morphology. D VI + I,10; A I,9; P 17. Body moderately elongate, the depth about 5 times in standard length. Head subcylindrical, snout short and blunt. Eyes elevated above dorsal profile of head ( Fig. 3 ). Caudal peduncle deep, but lower than body depth. Spines of first dorsal fin not elongate. Second dorsal fin higher than the first ( Fig. 3 ). Pelvic fins joined medially, reaching anus. Caudal fin rounded, its length about equal to head length ( Goren 1979). Body covered with scales; no scales on head, prepelvic area, and pectoral-fin base, but scales poorly or not visible on live specimen photographs ( Fig. 3 ).

Live coloration. Grayish brown, grading posteriorly to dark olive-brown with deep red blue-edged spots subequal to pupil size on head, anterior body, and dorsal fins; dorsal half of body with 2 dark spots of about eye size, circled with blue-green dots, one under middle of first dorsal fin and one below fourth or fifth dorsal-fin soft ray; a series of 7 oblique pale lines with blue dots on mid and rear body; head with an irregular dark red bar, edged with blue-green, extending ventrally from eye ( Fig. 3 ). The anal and paired fins olivaceous, with small pale yellowish spots, those on anal fin mainly in 2 rows along base ( Fig. 3 ).

Similar species. No similar species in the Mediterranean.

Habitat. Silty to coarse sand bottom, generally adjacent to sheltered reefs or seagrass beds, but also in calm seaward areas from depths of 2– 24 m. Shares a burrow with snapping shrimps.

Geographic distribution. Restricted to the Red Sea and Gulf of Tadjoura, Djibouti. Reported from the eastern Mediterranean coast of Israel ( Rothman & Goren 2015).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Live coloration in its natural habitat of Cryptocentrus caeruleopunctatus. Photo by S.V. Bogorodsky, Lahami Bay, Egypt, Red Sea.