The Azov tadpole goby (''Benthophilus magistri'') is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

goby The Gobioidei are a suborder of percomorph fish. Many of these fishes are called gobies. It is by far the largest and most diverse order within the order Gobiiformes, and one of the most diverse groups of ray-finned fish in general. The subord ...

native to the basin of the

Sea of Azov The Sea of Azov is an inland Continental shelf#Shelf seas, shelf sea in Eastern Europe connected to the Black Sea by the narrow (about ) Strait of Kerch, and sometimes regarded as a northern extension of the Black Sea. The sea is bounded by Ru ...

, specifically in the near-estuary zone of the

Kuban River The Kuban is a river in Russia that flows through the Western Caucasus and drains into the Sea of Azov. The Kuban runs mostly through Krasnodar Krai for , but also in the Karachay–Cherkess Republic, Stavropol Krai and the Republic of Adygea. ...

, to west until Ukrainian part of the

Taganrog Bay Taganrog Bay (; ) is the northeastern arm of the Sea of Azov. It also may be perceived as a flooded estuary of the Don River. Geography The bay serves as a natural boundary between the Kuban coast line in Russia and the northern Azov littor ...

and the

Strait of Kerch The Kerch Strait is a strait in Eastern Europe. It connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, separating the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea in the west from the Taman Peninsula of Russia's Krasnodar Krai in the east. The strait is to wide and u ...

, in the

Mius The Mius (; ) is a river in Eastern Europe that flows through Ukraine and Russia. It is long, and has a drainage basin of .Миус

estuary,

Yeya The Yeya () is a river in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It falls into the Yeya Firth of Taganrog Bay, Sea of Azov. It is long with a drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point ...

estuary, and Akhtanizovskii Liman. This species is only found on silty

estuarine An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...

bottoms. It can reach a length of TL.

References

Benthophilus Fish of Europe Fish of Russia Fish described in 1927 {{Gobiidae-stub