Abstract
The Indo-Pacific tropical sand goby, Favonigobius reichei (Bleeker, 1854), is a gobiid fish native to estuarine and marine waters of the coasts of the Indian and the western Pacific Oceans. Four specimens of F. reichei were collected from Iranian coast of the Makran Sea during a fish survey in November 2015. The morphological features of these specimens are described and discussed. This is the first record of the species from Iranian waters and is an extension of its known range within the Indian Ocean. 
Highlights
Gobiidae is one of the largest families of vertebrates, belonging to the perciform suborder Gobioidei, with at least 1924 species described in 309 genera (Larson and Hoese in prep); presently 1854 valid species in 5 subfamilies exist according to Eschmeyer et al (2017)
We primarily used the key of Larson and Murdy (2001) for the identification of the genus of Favonigobius and subsequently identified the collected individuals as F. reichei by analyzing the following morphometric and meristic characters: Fin ray counts D1: VI; D2: I, 8; A: I, 8; P: 15; PSD: 2; LSS: 29; TSS: 8
Head and body are whitish to pale yellowish, the upper two-third of body with numerous small brown and black spots and blotches on scales; a mid-lateral row of blackish spots with 4 or 5 slightly enlarged groups of black spots, the first beneath pectoral fin, last spot on caudal peduncle often paired without a vertical bar at caudal base; median fins spotted; paired fins pale; and a short black and oblique streak on side of snout extending from antero-ventral edge of eye to across lips
Summary
Gobiidae is one of the largest families of vertebrates, belonging to the perciform suborder Gobioidei, with at least 1924 species described in 309 genera (Larson and Hoese in prep); presently 1854 valid species in 5 subfamilies exist according to Eschmeyer et al (2017). (Nelson et al 2016, Froese and Pauly 2017) Members of this family live in diverse and sometimes harsh habitats, including intertidal zones, where few other fish families are well-adapted to live (Larson and Murdy 2001). They show spectacular variety in morphology, ecology, and behavior. Gobies are generally benthic and occupy a wide range of habitats, from rivers and mangrove mudflats to coral reefs. They attain a small body size (often less than 50 mm). They are distinct with pelvic fins usually wholly or partially joined into a disc and have separate spinous and rayed dorsal fins (Thacker 2012)
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