This species was previously considered a synonym of Gouania willdenowi but is now a separate valid species (Wagner et al. 2021).

This shallow nearshore species has a small range in the eastern Adriatic Sea. It is restricted to pebble beach habitat, which is a sparsely available habitat within its range, and that is impacted by pollution and coastal development and other degradation activities. The estimated area of occupancy (AOO) is inferred to be less than 2,000 km² and greater than 500 km². Degradation of these beach habitats from coastal development, which is pervasive within its range, is considered a major global threat to this species. Based on this and a number of locations of less than 10, this species is listed as Vulnerable B2 ab(iii) with a recommendation to research its distribution and population status.

This species is endemic to the Adriatic Sea from Stoja (Pula) and Pecine (Rijeka), Croatia to Vlorë, Albania (Wagner et al. 2021). It has not yet been found at Corfu, Greece (Wagner et al. 2021). It is a shallow water species occurring from 0-2 m depth (Hofrichter and Patzner 2000).

Based on a 2x2 km grid over the shoreline within its range, the maximum area of occupancy (AOO) would be estimated as 4,856 km². However, due to the natural rarity of the gravel beaches that this species is restricted to, this is considered to be an overestimate of AOO, and is therefore inferred to be less than 2,000 km² but greater than 500 km². The number of locations is less than 10 based on the pervasive threat from habitat degradation. 

The general abundance of this species is unknown. It is known from at least 10 specimens (Wagner et al. 2021). It is not known if the population is severely fragmented.

This species inhabits intertidal pebble beach, rarely occurring in areas of larger boulders, and may be found above the waterline during low tide (Wagner et al. 2021). Quantitative ecological data is lacking (Wagner et al. 2021). The maximum standard length is 4.3 cm (Wagner et al. 2021).

The Mediterranean is impacted by habitat alteration, pollution, rising sea levels, global warming and increasing tourism and industry (Wagner et al. 2023). The Adriatic coast of Croatia is especially impacted by this as it has become one of Europe's leading tourist destinations (Wagner et al. 2023). Additionally, beaches are a relatively rare and a highly fragmented habitat in the eastern Adriatic that is experiencing increasing threats from urbanization and coastline alterations (Wagner et al. 2023).

This species is not utilized.

There are no species-specific conservation measures. While artificial gravel beaches have been constructed to mitigate impacts from development on the coastline of the Adriatic Sea, with the amount of artificially deposited material increasing from 21 to 80 tons between 2017 and 2018, it may adversely affect the ecosystems of pebble beach environments if the wrong type or quantity of sediments is added (Wagner et al. 2023).

Survey work at other beaches within the range of this species is needed.