First record of darter goby, Ctenogobius boleosoma (Jordan & Gilbert, 1882) (Gobiiformes: Gobiidae), in the Mediterranean with notes on larval morphology and cryptic diversity

Darter goby, Ctenogobius boleosoma (Jordan & Gilbert, 1882), is a small euryhaline fish of the Gobiidae family (Gobiiformes). It naturally found in shallow marine and brackish waters Western Central Atlantic. This study reports first record C. Mediterranean Sea. In August October 2019, two postflexion stage larvae were sampled during ichthyoplankton surveys Antalya Bay Northeastern Mediterranean. The identified using barcoding cytochrome oxidase 1 gene sequence mitochondrial DNA (COI). morphology pre-transitional was described compared to previously published data. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that distinct clades exist its distribution range. COI records belonging one generally collected within Caribbean Sea, while others primarily North American Atlantic from Florida Carolina. average divergence between calculated be 9.36 ± 1.34 (± 95% confidence interval), which likely indicates existence undescribed species. specimen as most closely related clade. shows how integrative taxonomy can improve knowledge about non-indigenous