Gymnogobius scrobiculatus (Oxudercidae: Gobionellinae), a New Record from Korea, Identified using Morphological and Mitochondrial DNA Barcoding

Four specimens of Gymnogobius scrobiculatus (Takagi, 1957) (22.0–34.0 mm standard length), were collected from an estuary with a muddy sand substrate in Geojedo Island, Korea. These specimens had VI–I, 10 dorsal fin rays, I, 9 anal fin rays, no pre-dorsal scales, interorbital pores very narrow (often connected to a single pore), and the second dorsal fin origin is slightly above anal fin origin. In the analysis of the mitochondrial genome, the 12S ribosomal RNA gene sequence of the individuals collected from Korea was phylogenetically completely separated from the 11 species of Gymnogobius living in Japan, forming a distinct clade. A new Korean name, “jul-mu-nui-sal-mang-duk” is proposed based on the dark color pattern on the whole body and caudal fin.