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Issue: Vol. 5633 No. 3: 13 May 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-05-13
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5633.3.5
Page range: 513-527
Abstract views: 87
PDF downloaded: 6

Beyond Oman’s shores: records of Oxyurichthys omanensis (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from the central and southern regions of the Western Indian Ocean

NRF-South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (NRF-SAIAB); P. Bag 1015; Makhanda 6140; South Africa
Department of Marine Science and Fisheries; Sultan Qaboos University; P.O Box 34 Al Khod 123 Muscat; Oman
Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle; 55 rue Buffon; 75005 Paris; France
IRD; UMR ENTROPIE c/o CRIOBE; Université de Perpignan; 58 avenue Paul Alduy; 66860 Perpignan cedex; France
Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle; 55 rue Buffon; 75005 Paris; France
NRF-South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (NRF-SAIAB); P. Bag 1015; Makhanda 6140; South Africa; Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science; Rhodes University; P.O Box 94 Makhanda 6140; South Africa
Pisces Gobioidei Gobionellinae Oman’s eyebrow goby DNA barcoding morphology

Abstract

The goby genus Oxyurichthys (Gobionellinae) currently comprises 21 recognized species distributed across the tropical Indo-West Pacific region, with 12 species inhabiting the Western Indian Ocean (WIO). A recent examination of specimens from a mudflat habitat in northern Oman, located in the northwestern Indian Ocean, led to the description of a new species, Oxyurichthys omanensis. In this study, we re-examined collections of Oxyurichthys specimens from the central and southern WIO, previously identified as O. ophthalmonema. Our results provide robust evidence for the presence of O. omanensis in these regions, specifically from Kenya, Mayotte, and Madagascar. Here, we present a detailed morphological assessment of genotyped voucher specimens, enhanced by comprehensive descriptive information to further clarify the identification and distribution of Oxyurichthys species in the central and southern WIO.

 

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How to Cite

Zarei, F., Jufaili, S.M.A., Béarez, P., Ponton, D., Pruvost, P. & Chakona, A. (2025) Beyond Oman’s shores: records of Oxyurichthys omanensis (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from the central and southern regions of the Western Indian Ocean. Zootaxa, 5633 (3), 513–527. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5633.3.5