Primer registro de un juvenil de Sargocentron rubrum (Forsskål, 1775) del Mediterráneo Sudoriental, Turquía

In the present study, one juvenile specimen of redcoat Sargocentron rubrum (Forsskål, 1775) was first reported from the Mediterranean coast of Turkey with a visual record during an underwater survey conducted from the coast of Arsuz (Konacik), Iskenderun Bay, at a depth of 3 m, on September 11, 2018. The Family Holocentridae is currently represented in the Mediterranean by seven species, all exotic, six of them originate in the Red Sea (Lessepsian migrants) and one originates from the Atlantic.En el presente estudio, un espécimen juvenil de candil rojo Sargocentron rubrum (Forsskål, 1775) fue reportado por primera vez en la costa mediterránea de Turquía, mediante un registro visual durante un estudio submarino realizado desde la costa de Arsuz (Konacik), bahía de Iskenderun, a una profundidad de 3 m, el 11 de septiembre de 2018. La Familia Holocentridae está representada actualmente en el Mediterráneo por siete especies, todas exóticas, seis de ellas originarias del Mar Rojo (migrantes lessepsianos) y una originaria del Atlántico

THE OCCURRENCE OF ROYAL FLAGFIN Aulopus filamentosus (Bloch, 1792) IN MERSIN BAY (NORTH-EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN) TURKEY

Ulovljena su tri primjerka (1 mužjak i 2 ženke) barjaktarke, Aulopus filamentosus (Bloch, 1792), na dubini od 184 m u gradu Erdemli, u zaljevu Mersin (sjeveroistočni Mediteran, Turska) u lipnju 2015. godine. U ovom je radu prikazano prvo pojavljivanje te je potvrda barjaktarke, A. filamentosus, iz sjeveroistočnog Sredozemnog mora u Turskoj. S obzirom da je zabilježena samo jednom u posljednjih šezdeset godina, ova vrsta smatra se iznimno rijetkom u najistočnijem dijelu Sredozemnog mora (Turska).Three specimens (1 male and 2 females) of royal flagfin Aulopus filamentosus (Bloch, 1792) were caught at a depth of 184 m off Erdemli, Mersin Bay (northeastern Mediterranean, Turkey) in June 2015. The present paper reports the first occurrence and is the confirmation of royal flagfin A. filamentosus from the northeastern Mediterranean Sea, Turkey. Since it has been recorded only once in the last sixty years, this species could be considered as exceptionally rare in the easternmost area of the Mediterranean Sea, Turkey

New Mediterranean biodiversity records (October 2015)

The Collective Article “New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records” of the Mediterranean Marine Science journal offers the means to publish biodiversity records in the Mediterranean Sea. The current article has adopted a country-based classification and the countries are listed according to their geographic position, from west to east. New biodiversity data are reported for 7 different countries, although one species reported from Malta is new for the entire Mediterranean basin, and is presumably also present in Israel and Lebanon (see below, under Malta). Italy: the rare native fish Gobius kolombatovici is first reported from the Ionian Sea, whilst the alien jellyfish Rhopilema nomadica and the alien fish Oplegnathus fasciatus are first reported from the entire country. The presence of O. fasciatus from Trieste is concomitantly the first for the entire Adriatic Sea. Finally, the alien bivalve Arcuatula senhousia is reported for the first time from Campania (Tyrrhenian Sea). Tunisia: a bloom of the alien crab ortunus segnis is first reported from the Gulf of Gabes, where it was considered as casual. Malta: the alien flatworm Maritigrella fuscopunctata is recorded in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time, on the basis of 25 specimens. At the same time, web searches include possible unpublished records from Israel and Lebanon. The alien crab P. segnis, already mentioned above, is first formally reported from Malta based on specimens collected in 1972. Concomitantly, the presence of Callinectes sapidus in Maltese waters is excluded since based on misidentifications. Greece: the Atlantic northern brown shrimp Penaeus atzecus, previously known from the Ionian Sea from sporadic records only, is now well established in Greek and international Ionian waters. The alien sea urchin Diadema setosum is reported for the second time from Greece, and its first record from the country is backdated to 2010 in Rhodes Island. The alien lionfish Pterois miles is first reported from Greece and concomitantly from the entire Aegean Sea. Turkey: the alien rhodophyte Antithamnion hubbsii is first reported from Turkey and the entire eastern Mediterranean. New distribution data are also provided for the native fishes Alectis alexandrina and Heptranchias perlo. In particular, the former record consists of a juvenile measuring 21.38 mm total length, whilst the latter by a mature male. Cyprus: the rare native cephalopod Macrotritopus defilippi, and the alien crab Atergatis roseus, sea slug Plocamopherus ocellatus and fish Cheilodipterus novemstriatus are first recorded from the entire country. Lebanon: the alien crabs Actaea savignii and Matuta victor, as well as the alien fish Synanceia verrucosa, are first recorded from the entire country. In addition, the first Mediterranean record of A. savignii is backdated to 2006, whilst the high number of M. victor specimens observed in Lebanon suggest its establishment in the Basin. The Atlantic fishes Paranthias furcifer and Seriola fasciata, and the circumtropical Rachycentron canadum, are also first reported from the country. The P. furcifer record backdates its presence in the Mediterranean to 2007, whilst S. fasciata records backdate its presence in the eastern Mediterranean to 2005. Finally, two of these latter species have been recently ascribed to alien species, but all three species may fit the cryptogenic category, if not a new one, better.peer-reviewe

New Mediterranean marine biodiversity records (December, 2013)

Based on recent biodiversity studies carried out in different parts of the Mediterranean, the following 19 species are included as new records on the floral or faunal lists of the relevant ecosystems: the green algae Penicillus capitatus (Maltese waters); the nemertean Am- phiporus allucens (Iberian Peninsula, Spain); the salp Salpa maxima (Syria); the opistobranchs Felimida britoi and Berghia coerulescens (Aegean Sea, Greece); the dusky shark Carcharhinus obscurus (central-west Mediterranean and Ionian Sea, Italy); Randall’s threadfin bream Nemipterus randalli, the broadbanded cardinalfish Apogon fasciatus and the goby Gobius kolombatovici (Aegean Sea, Turkey); the reticulated leatherjack Stephanolepis diaspros and the halacarid Agaue chevreuxi (Sea of Marmara, Turkey); the slimy liagora Ganon- ema farinosum, the yellowstripe barracuda Sphyraena chrysotaenia, the rayed pearl oyster Pinctada imbricata radiata and the Persian conch Conomurex persicus (south-eastern Kriti, Greece); the blenny Microlipophrys dalmatinus and the bastard grunt Pomadasys incisus (Ionian Sea, Italy); the brown shrimp Farfantepenaeus aztecus (north-eastern Levant, Turkey); the blue-crab Callinectes sapidus (Corfu, Ionian Sea, Greece). In addition, the findings of the following rare species improve currently available biogeographical knowledge: the oceanic pufferfish Lagocephalus lagocephalus (Malta); the yellow sea chub Kyphosus incisor (Almuñécar coast of Spain); the basking shark Cetorhinus maximus and the shortfin mako Isurus oxyrinchus (north-eastern Levant, Turkey).peer-reviewe

Elasmobranch bycatch in a bottom trawl fishery in the Iskenderun Bay, northeastern Mediterranean

Total biomass, species composition, depth distribution, seasonal distribution and abundance of elasmobranchs were examined by commercial bottom trawls between 2009 and 2010 from Iskenderun Bay, Turkish coast of the northeastern Mediterranean. From 52 bottom trawl surveys, it was estimated that elasmobranchs represented 23% (190.1 kg.km(-2)) of total fish biomass (840.8 kg.km(-2)) in Iskenderun Bay. Dasyatis pastinaca, Gymnura altavela, Raja clavata and Rhinobatos spp. (Rhinobatos rhinobatos and Glaucostegus cemiculus) showed high occurrence and represented each between 11.10 and 38.46% of the whole elasmobranch biomass. The other species, Dipturus oxyrinchus, Raja miraletus, Torpedo marmorata and Torpedo torpedo, represented each between 0.12 and 2.82% of the total elasmobranchs biomass. Shark species, Mustelus mustelus, Scyliorhinus stellaris, Scyliorhinus canicula, Galeus melastomus and Squatina squatina, represented each between 0.45 and 1.7% of the whole elasmobranchs biomass. When seasonal distribution was examined, total catch of fish were 32.38, 23.24, 10.71 and 33.65%, of which elasmobranchs species constitute 24.11, 34.12, 20.42 and 21.34% in autumn, winter, spring and summer respectively. Single or sporadic captures were also recorded for Isurus oxyrinchus, Carcharhinus plumbeus, Carcharhinus altimus, Oxynotus centrina, Raja radula, Rhinoptera marginata and Pteromylaeus bovinus

Climate Change and Biodiversity Effects in Turkish Seas

Sea temperature change in the Mediterranean, Marmara and Black Sea coasts of Turkey and its possible biodiversity effects are investigated. The surface sea water temperatures of the Mediterranean, Marmara and Black Sea region of Turkey for last 41 years showed increased trends in Mediterranean Sea (Iskenderun, Mersin and Antalya), Marmara Sea (Istanbul) and Black Sea (Samsun). On the other hand, the number of Indo-Pacific species is getting rapidly increased for the last decade that caused increased invasion of the Indo-Pacific species and significant shift of biodiversity in Turkish Seas. This settlement process is probably accelerated or facilitated by global climate change and overfishing of native species. Nowadays, the occurrence of Atlantic-Mediterranean (Lithognathus mormyrus, Serranus hepatus and Callinectes sapidus) and Indo-Pacific (Stephanolepis diaspros, Lagocephalus spadiceus) originated species in the Marmara and Black Seas can also be an important indicator of the process of Mediterranization of the Marmara and Black Seas

Age and growth of the nakedband gaper, Champsodon nudivittis (Ogilby, 1895), from the Iskenderun Bay, Northeastern Mediterranean

The nakedband gaper Champsodon nudivittis (Ogilby, 1895) was first recorded in 2009 on Turkish coastal waters, and has rapidly increased around this region. C. nudivittis is the first lessepsian immigrant of Champsodontid species in the Turkish coastal waters. The present study aims to determine the age and growth parameters of C. nudivittis colonized in the Iskenderun Bay, North-eastern Mediterranean Sea. A total of 296 collected individuals (seasonally average 74 specimens) were studied from November 2011 to October 2012. Total specimen lengths and weights ranged from 6.00 to 14.40 cm and from 1.4 to 29.3 g respectively. Maximum age was 2 years for both sexes. The length-weight relationship was described as W= 0.0040 x L-3.207 (R-2 = 0.957)5 W= 0.0005 x L-3.158 (R-2 = 0.959) and W= 0.0040 x L-3.196 (R-2 = 0.955). The parameters of von Bertalanffy growth fitted to mean observed total lengths-at-age for each sex separately and estimated as L-infinity= 20.41 cm, K= 0.224 year(-1), t(0)= -2.491 year for females,L-infinity= 21.53 cm, K= 0.199 year(-1), t(0)= -2.154 year for males, and as L-infinity= 21.10 cm, K= 0.210 year(-1), t(0)= -2.639 year for combined sexes

Distribution of the Demersal Fishes on the Continental Shelves of the Levantine and North Aegean Seas (Eastern Mediterranean)

The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution patterns of demersal fishes on the continental shelves of the north-eastern Levantine and north-eastern Aegean seas. Fish samples were collected by bottom trawl. A total of 29 hauls were carried out, 15 hauls between 43 to 121 m depth in the north-eastern Levantine Sea and 14 hauls between 65 to 100 m depth in the north-eastern Aegean Sea. The total trawled area for both region was 1.87 km(2). Cluster analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling were applied to identify hauls grouping. Among 114 fish species found, 84 were recorded in the north-eastern Levantine Sea and 64 in the north-eastern Aegean Sea. Fifty species were found exclusively from the northeastern Levantine Sea, 30 species exclusively from the north-eastern Aegean Sea and 34 species were shared by the two areas. The Lessepsian migrants, Upeneus moluccensis, Equulites klunzingeri, Saurida undosquamis, and the indigenous species Pagellus erythrinus were the most common species of fish assemblage in the north-eastern Levantine Sea. The most common species in the north-eastern Aegean Sea were Serranus hepatus, Mullus barbatus, Citharus linguatula, Merluccius merluecius and Lepidotrigla cavillone. Faunal composition in the north-eastern Levantine Sea was influenced by the oligotrophic, temperate and high saline water, while in the north-eastern Aegean Sea it was mainly affected by the outflow of cold, less saline and highly productive waters from the Black Sea

Systematic Status of Nine Mullet Species (Mugilidae) in the Mediterranean Sea

Systematic relationships among four genera and nine species (MagilcephalusLinnaeus, 1758, MugilsoiuyBasilewsky, 1855, Liza ramada(Risso, 1827), Liza aurata (Risso, 1810), Liza abu (Heckel, 1843), Liza saliens (Risso, 1810), Liza carinata(Valenciennes, 1836), Chelonlabrosus(Risso, 1827), Oedalechiluslabeo (Cuvier, 1829)) of the Mugilidae family living in the Mediterranean Sea were investigated using morphological characters.Moreover the systematic relationship of M. soiuy and L. abu among other mullet species was investigated in the present study for the first time. Hierarchical cluster analyses of morphometric data were not concordant with the meristic data. Meristic characters in the present study were more discriminative than morphometric characters in terms of taxonomic classification of the mullets. According to meristic data in UPGMA tree, all nine species were grouped in two main branching. In the first branch, C. labrosusandO. labeo were clustered as closest taxa, and being the sister group to the L. aurata. The other four Liza species produced two sub-branching in this group; L. carinata was branched with L. saliens, which is neighbour toL. ramada. In the second branch two species, M. soiuyand L. abu were clustered together and highly isolated from others. M cephaluswas clustered as a most differentiated species from all otherMugilspecies

Morphologic structuring between populations of chub mackerel Scomber japonicus in the Black, Marmara, Aegean, and northeastern Mediterranean Seas

Morphometric and meristic analyses of chub mackerel Scomber japonicus were used to discriminate stocks throughout the Black, Marmara, Aegean, and northeastern Mediterranean Seas. Morphometric and meristic analyses showed a similar pattern of differentiation between S. japonicus stocks and revealed a clear discreteness of two groups, northeastern Mediterranean (Antalya Bay-Iskenderun Bay) and the northern group, including the Aegean, Marmara, and Black Seas. Univariate analysis of variance showed significant differences between means of the samples for most morphometric and meristic descriptors. The contribution of each variable in distinguishing between the stocks for the first discriminant function revealed high contribution from head size measurements for morphometrics, and first and second dorsal fin rays for meristics. Plotting all specimens on the first two discriminant functions accounted for 76% of total variance for morphometric and 69% of total variance for meristic analyses, and both plots resulted in two main groupings. The overall random assignment of individuals to their original group was higher in morphometric than in meristic analysis