The stellate tadpole-goby (Benthophilus stellatus) is a species of gobiid fish native to the basin of the Sea of Azov where it occurs in the Gulf of Taganrog and limans of the eastern coast.[2] It also lives in the lower Don River up to the Tsimlyansk Reservoir. It occurs in fresh and brackish waters of depths greater than 3 metres (9.8 ft), preferring shallow coastal lagoons and lowland rivers. Males can reach a length of 13.5 centimetres (5.3 in) TL while females only reach 11 centimetres (4.3 in) TL.[3]

Stellate tadpole-goby
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Gobiiformes
Family: Gobiidae
Genus: Benthophilus
Species:
B. stellatus
Binomial name
Benthophilus stellatus
(Sauvage, 1874)
The range of the stellate tadpole-goby
Synonyms
  • Doliichthys stellatus Sauvage, 1874
  • Benthophilus macrocephalus maeoticus Kuznetsov, 1888
  • Benthophilus monstrosus Kuznetsov, 1888

The Caspian stellate tadpole-goby (Benthophilus leobergius) has been considered a subspecies of this species.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Freyhof, J. & Kottelat, M. (2008). "Benthophilus stellatus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008: T135510A4135416. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T135510A4135416.en.
  2. ^ Boldyrev V.S., Bogutskaya N.G. (2007) Revision of the tadpole-gobies of the genus Benthophilus (Teleostei: Gobiidae). Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwaters, 18(1): 31–96.[1]
  3. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Benthophilus stellatus". FishBase. April 2013 version.
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