Ponticola platyrostris (Pallas, 1811)

Iftime, Alexandru & Oţel, Vasile, 2025, An annotated systematical checklist of the Romanian ichthyofauna, Zootaxa 5654 (1), pp. 1-64 : 48-49

Ponticola platyrostris (Pallas, 1811)

A native marine species, sporadically found in Romanian Black Sea waters, especially in the southern areas ( Nicolaev et al. 2004; Maximov & Zaharia 2010). Manilo (2020) considers the Romanian records as erroneous (quoting for Romanian presence Radu et al. 2008, who however do not precisely mention this species for the Romanian waters, but only for the Black Sea ; yet Nicolaev et al. 2004, Abaza et al. 2005, and Maximov & Zaharia 2010 do mention P. platyrostris for Romanian marine waters). Also not found in Bulgaria ( Vasilev et al. 2012; Manilo 2020). In the absence of precise records, specimens, photographs etc., one cannot decide whether the Romanian mentions were erroneous; a confusion with P. eurycephalus is still very much possible.

ORD. CICHLIFORMES

Fam. Cichlidae

Subfam. Pseudocrenilabrinae

Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758)

A non-native species, found in aquaculture; presence/survival in free waters is doubtful ( Iftime & Iftime 2021).

ORD. ANABANTIFORMES

Fam. Osphronemidae

Subfam. Macropodusinae

Betta splendens Regan, 1810

A non-native freshwater species, quoted as having (probably) been released into thermal waters from aquaria; most likely not persisting ( Iftime & Iftime 2021).

ORD. CARANGIFORMES

Fam. Bothidae

Arnoglossus kessleri Schmidt, 1915

A native marine species, found (probably sporadically at best) in Romanian Black Sea waters ( Nielsen 1986; Yankova et al. 2014; Cocan & MireȘan 2018); an uncertain presence according to Maximov & Zaharia (2010). Micu & Todorova, 2007 found it in dives in an area including both Bulgarian and Romanian waters, but do not precisely mention where.

Fam. Soleidae

Buglossidium luteum (Risso, 1810)

A marine species, native to the Black Sea , quoted for the Romanian Black Sea waters as an uncertain presence ( Maximov & Zaharia 2010).

ORD. BLENIIFORMES

Fam. Gobiesocidae

Apletodon dentatus (Facciola, 1887)

Claimed to have been recorded sometimes between 1952-1998 in the 2 Mai-Vama Veche Marine Reserve area (or the southern Romanian Black Sea waters) but to have probably extirpated by 2001-2003 ( Nicolaev et al., 2004 [as A. microcephalus bacescui ]). Mentioned by Briggs, 1986, Vasil’eva 2007, Oțel 2007, Yankova et al. 2014 and Cocan & MireȘan 2018 [as A. bacescui ] as present in Romanian waters. Bănărescu (1964) [as A. microcephalus bacescui ( Antoniu-Murgoci, 1940) ] expressly states that it was not found in Romanian waters. Substantiated Black Sea records pertain to Cape Kaliakra and the Burgas gulf area ( Antoniu-Murgoci 1940, ap. Bănărescu 1964), the central Turkish Black Sea coast near Sinop ( Bat et al. 2006) and the Crimea ( Karpova et al. 2017; Shaganov & Koulish 2018), none of which currently belongs to Romania (however, Cape Kaliakra did in 1940, when A. m. bacescui was described by Antoniu-Murgoci, hence probably part of the confusion). The 1952-1998 records of Nicolaev et al. 2004 are not substantiated with specimens or images (or references thereof) and therefore difficult to either accept or refute—as in the case of other gobiesocids.

The Black Sea population of this species is sometimes split as A. bacescui (Murgoci 19404) (e.g. Froese & Pauly 2025) but has been argued to represent at most a subspecies of A. dentatus ( Briggs 1986; Karpova et al. 2017; Gus’kov et al. 2022; Fricke et al. 2025).

4 Which should be in fact Antoniu-Murgoci, 1940 (see Bănărescu 1964).

ORD. PERCIFORMES

Fam. Serranidae

Serranus hepatus (Linnaeus, 1758)

A native marine species, sporadically (or potentially) found in Romanian Black Sea waters ( Yankova et al. 2014; Cocan & MireȘan 2018). The presence is questionable since the actual record(s) referred to by the first quoted source do not pertain to Romania, and the second does not give any record or reference for the species’ Romanian occurrence.

Fam. Percidae

Gymnocephalus acerina (Guldenstaedt, 1774)

A native, widespread rheophilic freshwater species, allegedly recorded in the Prut river ( Moshu et al. 2006). The authors do not provide an image or mention depositing a specimen. There is no other record for this species for the Prut ( Usatâi 2004; Davideanu, 2008; Ion et al. 2009; Bulat et al. 2013; Bulat et al. 2016; Bulat 2017) or for Romania; it does not occur westwards of the Dniester drainage ( Kottelat & Freyhof 2007; Bulat 2017). However, an artificial translocation of this species into the Prut drainage, when stocking other fishes from the Dniester catchment in Moldova, cannot be entirely ruled out; whether it witnessed such an accidental translocation (not resulting in establishment), or is simply a mistake, the record of Moshu et al. 2006 remains doubtful.