First report of Ernogrammus zhirmunskii Markevich & Kharin, 2011 (Perciformes: Stichaeidae) in Dokdo, Korea

The first specimen (54.8 mm standard length) of Ernogrammus zhirmunskii Markevich & Kharin, 2011, belonging to the family Stichaeidae, was recorded in Dokdo, East Sea, Korea on July 26, 2021. This species was characterized by a single ventral later-al-line canal from the posterior margin of the pelvic-fin base extending to the anus and one or two rigid spines on the posterior part of the anal fin. This species is similar to Ernogrammus hexagrammus and Ernogrammus walkeri but differs in the number of ventral lateral-line canal present, with E. zhirmunskii consisting of one (unpaired) ventral lateral-line canal compared to other two Ernogrammus species, which have a pair of parallel ventral lateral-line canal. For further analysis of species identification, a partial gene sequence from the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase subunit I (554 bp) of E. zhirmunskii was obtained for the first time. This study documents the first record of E. zhirmunskii in Korean waters and proposes the new Korean name of ‘Il-gob-jul-be-do-la-chi’ for the species.