Pomatoschistus knerii (Steindachner, 1861) (Fig. 64)—Kner’s Goby

Gobius knerii Steindachner, 1861: 287, Pl.1 (fig. 1); type locality: Adriatic Sea, Croatia, Hvar.

Size. Maximum size 4 cm total length (Miller 1986).

Morphology. D VI (VI–VII) + I,9–11; A I,8–10; P 17–20 (Miller 1986). Small goby with subcylindrical body, laterally compressed towards caudal fin, head moderately small. Typically short and rounded snout. Eyes lateral, interorbital space wide. Caudal peduncle slender, clearly lower than body depth. Dorsal fins of similar height, the first dorsal fin with more or less rounded margin and no elongated spines. Caudal fin truncate to slightly emarginate. Scales present on body, usually visible on photographs at least dorsally. Predorsal area naked (Miller 1986).

Live coloration. Background color beige to reddish orange, with alternating narrow dark and whitish vertical bars, more numerous in males. Irregular dark markings along back. Sometimes 4 pale dorsal saddles, first below origin of second dorsal fin, last on rear caudal peduncle; a large red or blackish triangular spot on base of caudal fin (Fig. 64). May be 2 red or dark bars below eye, first reaching corner of mouth, second on cheek. First dorsal fin with three oblique orange stripes, second sometimes with series of brown spots (Miller 1986; Kovačić et al. 2017b; present work, Fig. 64).

Similar species. Pomatoschistus bathi, P. quagga.

Habitat. Infralittoral species, mostly encountered between 0–10 m depth (Kovačić 2003), but known down to 45 m (Kovačić et al. 2017b), often hovering 10–50 cm above the substrata, on sand near rock and Cymodocea meadows or among boulders and scree (Kovačić 2003; Patzner 2021).

Geographic distribution. Mediterranean. Known from Giglio Island in the Tyrrhenian Sea and from the Adriatic Sea (Miller 1986; Kovačić 2003).