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Millerigobius macrocephalus (Kolombatović, 1891) (Fig. 27)—Large-headed Goby Gobius macrocephalus Kolombatović, 1891: 22; type locality: Adriatic Sea, Croatia, Brač Island, Milna. Size. Maximum size about 5 cm total length (Vanhove et al. 2011). Morphology. D VI + I,9–11; A I,9–10; P 14–16. Small goby with stocky body, large head and a short steep snout. Anterior nostril tube long, without tentacle. Caudal peduncle deep, almost as deep as body. Dorsal fins of similar height, the first with a more or less rounded edge. Only the tip of upper pectoral fin rays is free from membrane. Caudal fin rounded. Body scaled, predorsal area naked (Miller 1986; Vanhove et al. 2011). Scales more or less visible on body from the reticulate pattern of pigmentation along scale edges (Fig. 27). Live coloration. Body greenish, brownish or dark brown with 6–11 narrow, usually indistinct, pale bars across the sides (Fig. 27a) (Vanhove et al. 2011; Patzner 2021). In unstressed animals in the wild, side of body often more or less uniformly colored or mottled brown (Fig. 27b). When pale markings are visible on the back, they most often coalesce into a highly irregular mediodorsal pale band (most dark markings on the body not reaching to base of dorsal fins). Many small pale dots irregularly arranged, especially on snout, preopercle and cheek. When present, the pale crescent band on head (broad whitish transverse band across anterior nape extending on the sides down to pectoral-fin bases) extends onto the rear part of eyes; it is most often ill-defined (consists of overlapping whitish spots). Often a distinctive and well-defined longitudinal median narrow line on nape and predorsal area, usually formed by a dark dash followed by a white dash, another dark dash, and then a pale line reaching to origin of first dorsal fin (Fig. 27c). First dorsal fin more or less dark, sometimes reddish, with a whitish horizontal band and often a pale distal edge. Similar species. Zebrus zebrus, Zebrus pallaoroi. Habitat. Infralittoral species, known from 1–25 m depth on stones and pebbles near soft bottoms (summarized by Patzner 2021). Also recorded in transition waters, hypersaline or brackish (Vanhove et al. 2011). Geographic distribution. Mediterranean and Black Sea. In the Mediterranean Sea, there are records from Ibiza (Ramos-Espla & Perez-Ruzafa 1987), Cerbère, Gulf of Lion (Duhau et al. 2021), southern Corsica (Bouchereau & Tomasini 1989, Renoult et al. 2021b), Sicily (Giacobbe et al. 2016), Malta (Kovačić et al. 2013), Croatia (Kovačić 2005), Slovenia (Trkov et al. 2019), Greece, Lake Vouliagmeni (Vanhove et al. 2011), Crete (Kovačić et al. 2011), Euboia Island (Kovačić et al. 2021), Turkey, Aegean Sea (Bogorodsky et al. 2010), Cyprus (Kovačić et al. 2021), Israel and Lebanon (Miller 1977). Large-headed goby was also found in Crimea, in the Black Sea (Boltachev et al. 2010)., Published as part of 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, pp. 1-103 in Zootaxa 5144 (1) on page 70, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5144.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6601561, {"references":["Kolombatovic, G. (1891) Glamoci (Gobii) Spljetskog Pomorskog Okruzja Dalmaciji (In Croatian and Italian). Godisnje Izviesce C. K. Velike Realke u Splitu za Skolsku Godinu, Split, 1890 - 1891, 3 - 29.","Vanhove, M. P. M., Kovacic, M., Koutsikos, N. E., Zogaris, S., Vardakas, L. E., Huyse, T. T. & Economou, A. N. (2011) First record of a landlocked population of marine Millerigobius macrocephalus (Perciformes: Gobiidae): Observations from a unique spring-fed karstic lake (Lake Vouliagmeni, Greece) and phylogenetic positioning. Zoologischer Anzeiger, 250, 195 - 204. https: // doi. org / 10.1016 / j. jcz. 2011.03.002","Patzner, R. A. (2021) Gobiidae. Available from: http: // www. patzner. sbg. ac. at / Gobiidae / GobiidaeSpecies. htm (accessed 1 October 2021)","Ramos-Espla, A. A. & Perez-Ruzafa, A. (1987) Presencia de Millerigobius macrocephalus (Kolombatovic, 1891) (Teleostei: Gobiidae) en el Mediterraneo occidental con notas sobre su biologia. Anales de Biologia, 11, 31 - 35.","Duhau, M., Pillon, R. & Louisy, P. (2021) Signalisation de / Record of Millerigobius macrocephalus, 13 December 2021 (obs. 24 June 2021, photo 5924). Fish Watch Forum, Louisy, P. & Francour, P. (Ed.). Available from: https: // www. fish-watch. org (accessed 15 December 2021)","Bouchereau, J. L. & Tomasini, J. A. (1989) Note sur la presence de Chromogobius zebratus (Kolombatovic, 1891) et de Millerigobius macrocephalus (Kolombatovic, 1891) (Teleostei; Percomorphi; Gobioidei; Gobiidae) sur les cotes de Corse, France. Bulletin de la Societe zoologique de France Societe zoologique de France, 114, 106 - 110.","Renoult, J. P., Pillon, R. & Louisy, P. (2021 b) Signalisation de / Record of Millerigobius macrocephalus, 13 December 2021 (obs. 05 July 2020, photo 5910). Fish Watch Forum, Louisy, P. & Francour, P. (Ed.). Available from: https: // www. fish-watch. org (accessed 13 December 2021)","Giacobbe, S., Spinelli, A., De Matteo, S. & Kovacic, M. (2016) First record of the large-headed goby, Millerigobius macrocephalus (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Gobiidae), from Italy. Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria, 46, 49 - 52. https: // doi. org / 10.3750 / AIP 2016.46.1.07","Kovacic, M. (2005) An annotated checklist of the family Gobiidae in the Adriatic Sea. Annales, Series Historia Naturalis, 15, 1 - 24.","Trkov, D., Mavric, B., Orlando-Bonaca, M. & Lipej, L. (2019) Marine cryptobenthic fish fauna of Slovenia (Northern Adriatic Sea). Annales, Series Historia Naturalis, 29 (1), 59 - 72. https: // doi. org / 10.19233 / ASHN. 2019.07","Kovacic, M., Sanda, R., Cekovska, K., T. Soukupova, T. & Vukic, J. (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 Advance articles, 90 (3), 285 - 317 https: // doi. org / 10.1163 / 18759866 - bja 10018","Bogorodsky, S., Kovacic, M., Ozen, O. & Bilecenog ˘ lu, M. (2010) Records of two uncommon goby species (Millerigobius macrocephalus, Zebrus zebrus) from the Aegean Sea. Acta Adriatica, 51, 217 - 222.","Miller, P. J. (1977) Gobies from Rhodes and systematic features of Zebrus zebrus (Teleostei: Gobiidae). Zoologicla Journal of Linnean Soc iety, 60, 339 - 362. https: // doi. org / 10.1111 / j. 1096 - 3642.1977. tb 00839. x","Boltachev, A. R., Karpova, E. P. & Machkevskiy, V. K. (2010) The naturalization of Miller's goby Millerigobius macrocephalus (Perciformes, Gobiidae) in the Sevastopol Bay of the Black Sea. Morskoj ekologiceskij zurnal, 9, 32."]}

17. As stated in the relevant article (Bogorodsky et al. 2014, P: 218), the finding of Millerigobius macrocephalus (Kolombatović, 1891) is placed both in the text and map in the territory of the Dardanelles (��anakkale Strait) in the given coordinates of 40˚ 03���00��� N, 26˚ 12��� 42���E, July 2007, Coll. O.Ozen. As clearly stated in Art��z & Fricke (2019) Sea of Marmara is a complex structure with the straits Bosporus and Dardanelles between the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea. Just as some of the records are originated from the Bosporus, some of the records belong to the Dardanelles. The region where the collection takes place is clearly located within the boundaries of the Sea of Marmara! Therefore this record was taken as a record of the Sea of Marmara. The incorrect presentation of the location in the author���s own article is not understood. Remark. The Sea of Marmara consists of an oceanographic structure with two different water masses which located on top of each other. These two water masses are clearly separated from one another by an interface. Without knowing this situation, it is impossible to establish the borders of the Sea of Marmara. For this reason, in order to be understandable, when the Sea of Marmara is mentioned, the region between the Aegean Sea exit of the Dardanelles and the Black Sea exit of the Bosporus is defined., Published as part of Art��z, M. Levent & Fricke, Ronald, 2020, Response to the comments regarding " The marine teleost fishes of the Sea of Marmara; an updated and annotated checklist " by Art��z & Fricke (2019), pp. 395-400 in Zootaxa 4802 (2) on page 398, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4802.2.13, http://zenodo.org/record/3991001, {"references":["Artuz, M. L. & Fricke, R. (2019) The marine teleost fishes of the Sea of Marmara; an updated and annotated checklist. Zootaxa, 4565 (4), 545 - 565. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / zootaxa. 4565.4.9"]}

Two confined populations of an inadequately known gobiid, Millerigobius macrocephalus (Kolombatović, 1891), new species for Italy, have been reported for the protected areas of “Capo Peloro Lagoon” and “Marinello Lakes”, NE Sicily. The specimens found were described and illustrated. Additional data were provided on the habitat preferences of this fish species. The authors emphasize the need for biodiversity inventories of inadequately studied Mediterranean lagoons.

A hitherto undescribed population of gobies in the Greek brackish karstic Lake Vouliagmeni was identified as Millerigobius macrocephalus. Molecular phylogenetic analysis using partial mitochondrial ribosomal DNA sequences situates this species as a sister taxon to Zebrus zebrus, thus confirming earlier morphological work. Morphological variation as compared to previous studies on this species is discussed. This is the first report of M. macrocephalus occurring inland and under oligohaline conditions, underlining that our knowledge on diversity and distribution of the European gobiid fauna is still far from complete. The occurrence of this rarely observed fish species might enhance the conservational importance of the lake under study.

A hitherto undescribed population of gobies in the Greek brackish karstic Lake Vouliagmeni was identified as Millerigobius macrocephalus. Molecular phylogenetic analysis using partial mitochondrial ribosomal DNA sequences situates this species as a sister taxon to Zebrus zebrus, thus confirming earlier morphological work. Morphological variation as compared to previous studies on this species is discussed. This is the first report of M. macrocephalus occurring inland and under oligohaline conditions, underlining that our knowledge on diversity and distribution of the European gobiid fauna is still far from complete. The occurrence of this rarely observed fish species might enhance the conservational importance of the lake under study.