Gobies on the Turkish coast of the Black Sea, and first record of the yellow-headed goby, Gobius xanthocephalus Heymer & Zander, 1992.

Objective: Challenges in identifying species of the Gobiidae family and their high tolerance to salinity, which makes it difficult to determine their distribution boundaries, have prevented the achievement of a common checklist for these species in the Turkish waters of the Black Sea. In this study, we present a checklist of marine gobies, including the first record of the yellow-headed goby, Gobius xanthocephalus Heymer & Zander, 1992, in this region. Materials and Methods: On July 29, 2019, one individual of G. xanthocephalus was observed and photographed at a depth of 12 m by SCUBA diving on the coast of Giresun Island (40°55'41.75"N - 38°26'14.15"E), the southeastern Black Sea Basin. The other individual was photographed on November 4, 2023, at a depth of 3 m in Kapuz Beach (41°28'15.64"N - 31°48'2.56"E), the southwestern Black Sea Basin. Results: A list of species belonging to the Gobiidae family in the Turkish waters of the Black Sea was presented by reviewing the relevant literature, and the distribution of the yellow-headed goby was updated. Two new photo records of G. xanthocephalus from the Black Sea coasts of Türkiye are provided on Giresun Island and Zonguldak, between the depths of 3-12 m. Conclusion: Although the number of gobiid species reported in the relevant literature ranges between 16 and 35, the presence of 16 species was confirmed after excluding freshwater and brackish water species with the addition of the yellow-headed goby to this revised list. To accurately determine the distribution of these species with high salinity tolerance, comprehensive studies of freshwater, transitional, and marine waters in the southern Black Sea are necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]