taxonID	type	description	language	source
34BBE2EF79D75910911C58EB6EEF62DC.taxon	description	Fig. 2, Table 1	en	Barani, Hashem Khandan, Alavi-Yeganeh, Mohammad Sadegh, Ghanbarifardi, Mehdi (2025): Sillago persica sp. nov., a new sillaginid (Perciformes, Sillaginidae) from the Persian Gulf. ZooKeys 1255: 63-76, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1255.162247
34BBE2EF79D75910911C58EB6EEF62DC.taxon	etymology	Etymology. The species name persica is derived from the Persian Gulf, where the type specimens were collected.	en	Barani, Hashem Khandan, Alavi-Yeganeh, Mohammad Sadegh, Ghanbarifardi, Mehdi (2025): Sillago persica sp. nov., a new sillaginid (Perciformes, Sillaginidae) from the Persian Gulf. ZooKeys 1255: 63-76, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1255.162247
34BBE2EF79D75910911C58EB6EEF62DC.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. Dorsal fin with XI, I + 21 – 22 rays and anal with II (23 – 24) rays. The lateral line with 65 – 76 scales, 4 – 5 scale rows between the dorsal-fin origin and the lateral line. Gill rakers with 3 + 7 – 8 on the first gill arch. The vertebral formula with 14 or 15 abdominal vertebrae (predominantly 14), 4 – 5 predorsal vertebrae (mostly 4), and 14 – 15 caudal vertebrae (mostly 14), resulting in a total vertebral count of 32 – 34 (mostly 32) (Table 1). The body is characterized by the absence of dark blotches or a mid-lateral stripe. The swim bladder features two posterior extensions, with a duct-like process originating from the anterior end of the swim bladder and beginning at the junction of the roots of the two posterior extensions (Fig. 3). Five wide extensions connect the posterior sub-extensions of the anterolateral extensions to the body of the swim bladder.	en	Barani, Hashem Khandan, Alavi-Yeganeh, Mohammad Sadegh, Ghanbarifardi, Mehdi (2025): Sillago persica sp. nov., a new sillaginid (Perciformes, Sillaginidae) from the Persian Gulf. ZooKeys 1255: 63-76, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1255.162247
34BBE2EF79D75910911C58EB6EEF62DC.taxon	description	Description. General body features are illustrated in Fig. 2, and counts and measurements are provided in Table 1. The body is elongate, slightly conical at the anterior end, and tubular towards the posterior end. The body depth is 14.9 mm, 16.83 % of SL. The head is large, and its length is 26.3 – 28.7 % of SL. The snout is long, and its length is 38.2 – 45.8 % of HL. The eye is of moderate size, and its diameter is 15.3 – 17.6 % of HL. The interorbital region is flat, and its width is 17.9 – 21.1 % of HL. The mouth is small, terminal, and the tips of the upper and lower jaws are almost equal in length. Both jaws have a series of very small teeth that which form a broad band that tapers posteriorly into a single row. Gill rakers on the first arch are pointed and relatively large. The caudal peduncle is short; its depth is 77.5 – 90.1 % of the caudal-peduncle length. The body is covered in small to moderate-sized ctenoid scales, while the cheeks are covered in cycloid scales. The lateral line begins above the gill aperture and the anterior portion of the pectoral fin, extending along the dorsal edge to the end of the body. The species has two separate dorsal fins, with rays as XI, I + 21 (range: 21 – 22), and the fin membrane has blurry black spots. The anal fin has II, 23 (range: 23 – 24) rays. The pectoral fin with 15 (15 – 16) rays. The pelvic fins are separate, wide, and have I + 5 rays, approximately triangular and smaller than the pectoral fins. The caudal fin has 16 – 18 rays. Color of fresh specimens: the upper surface of the head is bright brown, while the trunk is also bright brown, transitioning to silver on the abdomen. The body lacks stripes, although the anterior half of the ventral side may exhibit some dark pigmentation. The dorsal fins are hyaline, featuring small dark spots on the fin membrane. The pectoral and pelvic fins are light yellowish hyaline; the anal fin is hyaline and free of dark spots, and the caudal fin is yellowish dusky, with a black margin along the posterior edge. Swim bladder: the swim bladder is large and features two anterior extensions that extend forward to the basioccipital, which is positioned above the auditory capsules on both sides. Additionally, it has two posterior tapering extensions that reach into the caudal region without a lacuna between them. Two anterolateral extensions arise from the anterior portion of the swim bladder, each bifurcating into anterior and posterior sub-extensions. The anterior sub-extension consists of a short, simple, blind tubule, while the posterior sub-extensions are kinked, long, and complex at the beginning, becoming simpler and relatively thinner as they extend along the abdominal wall, ultimately terminating at the base of the posterior extensions. Notably, five wide extensions connect to these two sub-extensions, a feature that is not observed in other species within this genus. Furthermore, a single duct-like process originates from the pelvic surface of the swim bladder, extending to the urogenital opening. This duct-like process originates at the junction of the roots of the two posterior extensions, located anterior to the terminus of the swim bladder.	en	Barani, Hashem Khandan, Alavi-Yeganeh, Mohammad Sadegh, Ghanbarifardi, Mehdi (2025): Sillago persica sp. nov., a new sillaginid (Perciformes, Sillaginidae) from the Persian Gulf. ZooKeys 1255: 63-76, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1255.162247
34BBE2EF79D75910911C58EB6EEF62DC.taxon	distribution	Distribution. In this study, specimens of S. persica were collected from the northern Persian Gulf coast of Iran (Bushehr) (Fig. 1). The identified haplotypes formed a monophyletic group alongside the haplotypes of the G 5 clade of S. sihama, which were collected from the coast of Karachi, Pakistan (Cheng et al. 2021). Thus, the known distribution of this species extends from the northern coast of the Persian Gulf to the northern coast of the Arabian Sea.	en	Barani, Hashem Khandan, Alavi-Yeganeh, Mohammad Sadegh, Ghanbarifardi, Mehdi (2025): Sillago persica sp. nov., a new sillaginid (Perciformes, Sillaginidae) from the Persian Gulf. ZooKeys 1255: 63-76, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1255.162247
