The tadpole-gobies (Benthophilus), also called pugolovkas (which means "tadpole" in Russian), are a genus of Ponto-Caspian fish in the family Gobiidae.
They are distributed in the fresh and brackish waters of basins of the Black Sea, Caspian Sea and the Sea of Azov, up to salinities of about 20 â°. They typically live in habitats such as the deep waters of the Caspian (salinity about 13 â°) and in the deltas, estuaries and coastal waters of the Ponto-Caspian.
Tadpole-gobies are small fish, never larger than , and usually smaller. Their life span is about one year. After spawning they die.
Species
There are currently 21 recognized species in this genus:
- Benthophilus abdurahmanovi <small>Ragimov, 1978</small> (Abdurahmanov's pugolovka)
- Benthophilus baeri <small>Kessler, 1877</small> (Baer pugolovka)
- Benthophilus casachicus <small>Ragimov, 1978</small>
- Benthophilus ctenolepidus <small>Kessler, 1877</small>
- Benthophilus durrelli <small>Boldyrev & Bogutskaya, 2004</small> (Don tadpole-goby)
- Benthophilus granulosus <small>Kessler, 1877</small> (Granular pugolovka)
- Benthophilus grimmi <small>Kessler, 1877</small>
- Benthophilus kessleri <small>L. S. Berg, 1927</small>
- Benthophilus leobergius <small>L. S. Berg, 1949</small> (Caspian stellate tadpole-goby)
- Benthophilus leptocephalus <small>Kessler, 1877</small>
- Benthophilus leptorhynchus <small>Kessler, 1877</small> (Short-snout pugolovka)
- Benthophilus macrocephalus <small>(Pallas, 1787)</small> (Caspian tadpole goby)
- Benthophilus magistri <small>Iljin, 1927</small> (Azov tadpole goby)
- Benthophilus mahmudbejovi <small>Ragimov, 1976</small> (Small-spine tadpole-goby)
- Benthophilus nudus <small>L. S. Berg, 1898</small> (Black Sea tadpole-goby)
- Benthophilus persicus <small>KovaÃÂiÃÂ, Esmaeili, Zarei, Abbasi & Schliewen, 2021</small>
- Benthophilus pinchuki <small>Ragimov, 1982</small>
- Benthophilus ragimovi <small>Boldyrev & Bogutskaya, 2004</small>
- Benthophilus spinosus <small>Kessler, 1877</small> (Spiny pugolovka)
- Benthophilus stellatus <small>(Sauvage, 1874)</small> (Stellate tadpole-goby)
- Benthophilus svetovidovi <small>Pinchuk & Ragimov, 1979</small>
The fossil species â Benthophilus styriacus <small>Schwarzhans, Bradià& Bratishko, 2016</small> and â ?Benthophilus ovisulcus <small>Schwarzhans, Bradià& Bratishko, 2016</small> are known from fossil otoliths from the Middle Miocene of Romania.'
References