The description of a new species of tubenose goby from the Crimean peninsula in the Ukraine has been published in the most recent issue of the journal Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters.
The new species, named Proterorhinus tataricus by Jorg Freyhof and Alexander Naseka, is named after the Crimean Tartars, a Turkic-speaking ethnic group residing in the Crimea.
Proterorhinus tataricus is distinguished from the other three species of Proterorhinus (P. marmoratus, P. nasalis, and P. semilunaris) in having 45"54+2"3 scales in the midlateral series, nuptial males with a hump behind the eye, interorbital distance 19"30% head length, head length 26"29% standard length, 15"17 anal-fin rays, and 18"19 second-dorsal-fin rays.
The new species was found in moderately fast flowing and stagnant parts of the Chornaya River (the type locality), which is a medium sized stream with a discharge of about 10 m3s-1.
It is only known from the Chornaya River drainage, and the fact that water is extracted in large quantities for irrigation from the lower part of the river, making it almost dry in the summer is worrying and likely to lead to the extinction of the species.
For more information, see the paper: Freyhof, J and AM Naseka (2007) Proterorhinus tataricus, a new tubenose goby from Crimea, Ukraine (Teleostei: Gobiidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters 18, pp. 325-334.