New geographical record of the lined rockskipper, Istiblennius lineatus (Valenciennes, 1836) from the Iranian coast of the Makran Sea (Teleostei, Blenniidae)

The lined rockskipper, Istiblennius lineatus, is a species of combtooth blenny fish distributed from the Laccadive and Maldive islands, central Indian Ocean, east to Mangareva and Gambier Islands in the Pacific Ocean. It occurs as far north as Toyohama, Japan, and now it is recorded from the coastal area of the Makran Sea, Iran. Six specimens of I. lineatus were collected from 3 localities in the Iranian coast of the Makran Sea during a fish survey in November 2015. These specimens represent the first record of the species from Iranian waters as well as an extension of its known geographical range within the Indian Ocean. The morphological features of these specimens are herein described and discussed