Occurrence of the Burrowing goby Trypauchen vagina (Bloch and Schneider, 1801) in Southeastern Mediterranean, Turkey

Abstract

A single male specimen of the burrowing goby, Trypauchen vagina (Bloch and Schneider, 1801), was caught at a depth of 30 m from the Arsuz coast, Turkey by a trammel net on 17 October 2017. Total length (TL) of the specimen measured as 206 mm. Measurements of the specimen were given and the geographical distribution of the species in the Mediterranean was documented. Although this is the third record of T. vagina
from the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, the paper is the first report of an adult male specimen of T. vagina from southern coast of Turkey and confirms the extension of the species towards southeastern Mediterranean in the region. The finding of T. vagina in Arsuz coast suggests the habitat expansion of the species. As a result of this study a gap is filled relating to the geographic distribution of this species in the eastern
Mediterranean coast of Turkey.