ABSTRACT
Relationships with other Zoogeographic Areas Th e three zoogeographic areas with their gobiid fauna (the Ponto-Caspian and European freshwaters, the eastern tropical Atlantic coast along African coast, and the western Atlantic coast) adjoin the North-Eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea area. Th e cold Arctic waters north of the temperate waters of the North-Eastern Atlantic are without fi sh species of suborder Gobioidei. However, two gobiid species reach the south-east Iceland (Buenia jeff reysii, Lebetus scorpioides) (Miller, 1986). The gobiid fauna of the North-Eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea shares nine native genera with the Ponto-Caspian and European freshwaters, about 1/4 of the North-Eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea total number of genera, and about 2/3 of the gobiid genera that occur in Ponto-Caspian and European freshwaters (Miller, 2003) (Table 2.2.3). All nine genera are present in the Black Sea, just three of them are present also elsewhere in the European temperate seas (Knipowitschia, Pomatoschistus and Zosterisessor). Th e zoogeographic connection between the European temperate seas and the Ponto-Caspian and European freshwater gobiid fauna is the area of the Black Sea, with its history of the reversals from marine to freshwater conditions. Th is probably enabled the adapting of the freshwater gobiid fauna to the highly diff erent environment: brackish, semi-marine, and fi nally, a part of them, to the marine conditions. Th e gobiid fauna of the North-Eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea is much richer in genera comparing to the eastern tropical Atlantic coast (Miller, 1990). Th erefore, the 10 native genera present in the both areas are about 29% of genera from temperate waters and about 53% of genera from tropical waters (Table 2.2.3). Th ese genera represent the mix of the clear tropical fauna that manage to reach tropical limit or shortly spread north of it (Bathygobius, Gobioides, Gorogobius, Nematogobius), with the taxa that are widespread in the temperate waters, but with representatives also in the tropical area (Corcyrogobius, Gobius, Lesueurigobius, Th orogobius, Vanneaugobius). Gnatholepis thompsoni (Jordan, 1904), goby from tropical western Atlantic and eastern Atlantic islands was recently recorded in Madeira Island (Araujo and Freitas, 2002). Th e gobiid fauna of the North-Eastern Atlantic shares three native genera with the Western Atlantic (Murdy and Hoese, 2008), which is about 9% of total number of genera in each of the areas (Table 2.2.3). Th ree amphiatlantic gobiid genera
