Molecular analysis reveals the invasion of eastern tubenose goby proterorhinus nasalis de filippi, 1863 (Perciformes: Gobiidae) into the baltic sea

Abstract

We report the first confirmed record of the invasive alien species, eastern tubenose goby Proterorhinus nasalis (De Filippi, 1863) in the Baltic Sea as a first verified record of this species outside Azov and Caspian Sea basins and the Volga River system. Several tubenose gobies with inconclusive morphometrical characteristics were caught from the Narva Bay, eastern part of Gulf of Finland in September 2020. Phylogenetic analysis of caught individuals confirmed their taxonomic classification as Proterorhinus nasalis. Relatively high abundance of tubenose gobies hints that P. nasalis may have established a naturalized population in the Narva Bay.