Recent gobies from Pakistan, northern Arabian sea: Diversity and biogeographic affinities

Hoda reported the presence of over thirty species of the family Gobiidae with inadequate taxonomic descriptions and lacking fish images lead them either dubious or misidentification of some species in Pakistan. In addition, nomenclature of some species is now modified in international database and Fishbase. This study was aimed to provide a lucid taxonomic description and an image of each species in line with international database to ease biologists in identification and further investigations on gobies. Over 2 years (2017-2019) sampling conducted in lagoons, estuarine, mangroves, rocky ledges and mudflat some 662 specimens of eleven species Acentrogobius moloanus (2)dagger, Aulopareia ocellata (2)dagger, Boleophthalmus dussumieri (409), Glossogobius guiris (20), Gobius cobitis (38)dagger, Istigobius ornatus (40), Oxyurichthys microlepis (2), Periophthalmus barbarus (1), Periophthalmus variabilis (7)dagger, Scartelaos tenuis (81), and Trypauchen vagina (60) were collected (dagger species recorded for the first time). Among sampled population 61% belongs to B. dussumieri whereas population of A. moloanus, A. ocellata and O. microlepis found to be Periophthalmus variabilis was merely 0.2% during entire study period. Merely eleven species sampled in the present study from versatile habitats reveals that either species reported by Hoda were may be overlooked or rampant anthropogenic activities has eliminated around 60% of the gobies population in Pakistan. This study is the first to provide detailed information about gobies their status and highlight conservation and management concern of an ecological important fish group in the northern Arabian Sea, Pakistan.