Annotated checklist of the Indian gobioid fishes (order: Gobiiformes)

Research on the distribution of gobioid fishes in India remains relatively scarce compared to the broader spectrum of ichthyofaunal diversity across the country.Koumans seminal work in 1941 is the most extensive investigation to date, documenting 124 species within this group.Since then, subsequent studies have contributed to enrich our understanding of goby diversity in India.In the current compilation, a thorough examination reveals the presence of 258 goby species distributed among five families: Eleotridae (19 species), Gobiidae (224 species), Kraemeriidae (1 species), Microdesmidae (12 species), and Schindleriidae (2 species).Notably, over the past two decades, the gobioid diversity of India has experienced a significant surge, with nearly 50 additional species recorded from the Indian region.The taxonomic nomenclature and status adopted in this manuscript are primarily consistent with the standards outlined in the Catalogue of Fishes.It can be anticipated that, future comprehensive surveys, targeting the diverse marine ecosystems along the coastline of India will reveal an even greater diversity of goby species in the region.