Expanding distribution and occurence of the Indo-Pacific Stomatopod, Erugosquilla massavensis (Kossmann, 1880) on the Aegean coast of Turkey

The indo-Pacific mantis shrimp, Erugosquilla massavensis was recently collected from Sigacik Bay,located on the Aegean coast of Turkey. It is the first record of the species along the Aegean coast of Turke

First record of the red shrimp, Aristeus antennatus (Risso, 1816) (Decapoda: Aristeidae) from the Aegean Sea coast of Turkey

A female specimen of the deep-water red shrimp, Aristeus antennatus(Risso, 1816) was caught at depths of between 550 m and 670 m during 2005 by trawling off the Marmaris coast. A. antennatus is a species known to inhabit only the Levantine Sea coast of Turkey. This paper is on the first record of the species along the southern Aegean Sea coast of Turke

Fecundity of the common cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis L. (Cephalopoda, Sepiida): a new look at the old problem

The potential fecundity (PF) of advanced maturing and mature pre-spawning cuttlefish S. officinalis in the Aegean Sea varies from 3,700 to 8,000 (mean 5,871) oocytes, whereas the number of large yolk oocytes increases with mantle length from 130 to 839. Small oocytes predominate at all maturity stages. Spawning animals have a PF of some 1,000-3,000 eggs below that of pre-spawning females. This shows that intermittent spawning, which occurs in captivity, is a normal process in natural habitats. Empty follicular sheaths are resorbed very rapidly, and their number does not represent the number of eggs laid by the female prior to sampling. Regulative oocyte resorption was observed at early maturation in some cuttlefishes

Decapod crustaceans on the Gökçeada (Imbros) island continental shelf (north-eastern Aegean Sea)

The present composition of decapod crustaceans found at the sublittoral depths (5-104 m) off the coast of the island of Gökçeada (north-eastern Aegean Sea) is presented. A total of 28 species (11 caridean shrimps, 1 thalassinid ghost crab, 7 anomurans and 9 brachyuran crabs) and 277 specimens were recorded. The caridean shrimp, Athanas nitescens had the highest abundance with a dominance value of 20.94% in samples. The dominant group is caridean, represented by a total of 11 species and an occurrence frequency of 39.29%

Alien species on the coasts of Turkey

The compilation of data on alien species reported from the Turkish coasts yielded a total of 263 species belonging to 11 systematic groups, of which Mollusca had the highest number of species (85 species), followed by Crustacea (51), fishes (43) and phytobenthos (39). The Black Sea is represented by a total of 20 alien species, the Sea of Marmara by 48 species, the Aegean Sea by 98 species and the Levantine Sea by 202 species. The majority of aliens found in the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara were transported via shipping, whereas the Levantine coast is extensively subjected to Lessepsian migration. Benthic habitats (soft and hard substrata) comprise 76% of the total alien species and the pelagic environment is inhabited by thirty-nine species. Almost 50% of aliens collected from the Turkish coasts were found only at 0-10 m depth. Eight species occur at depths deeper than 100 m. The impacts of aliens on the benthic and pelagic ecosystems are presented

New records of Decapod Crustaceans (Decapoda: Pontoniinae and Inachidae) associated with sea anemones in Turkish waters

Three anemone-associated decapod crustaceans, two shrimp species, Periclimenes amethysteus and P. aegylios (Caridea: Palaemonidae: Pontoniinae), and the crab Inachus phalangium (Brachyura: Inachidae), all collected from the Dardanelles, are reported for the first time from Turkish coasts. Another inachid crab, Macropodia czernjawskii is also reported for the first time to occur in association with the sea anemone, Anemonia viridis. Periclimenes scriptus was the fifth decapod species recorded associated with sea anemones within the present study, and while this species has already been reported from Turkish waters, this is the first time it is recorded from the Dardanelles (the Turkish Straits System)

New Mediterranean Marine biodiversity records (June 2013)

This paper concerns records of species that have extended their distribution in the Mediterranean Sea. The finding of the rare brackish angiosperm Althenia filiformis in the island of Cyprus is interesting since its insertion in the Red Data Book of the Flora of Cyprus is suggested. The following species enriched the flora or fauna lists of the relevant countries: the red alga Sebdenia dichotoma (Greece), the hydrachnid mite Pontarachna adriatica (Slovenia), and the thalassinid Gebiacantha talismani (Turkey). Several alien species were recorded in new Mediterranean localities. The record of the burrowing goby Trypauchen vagina in the North Levantine Sea (Turkish coast), suggests the start of spreading of this Lessepsian immigrant in the Mediterranean Sea. The findings of the following species indicate the extension of their occurrence in the Mediterranean Sea: the foraminifer Amphistegina lobifera (island of Zakynthos, Greece), the medusa Cassiopea andromeda (Syria), the copepod Centropages furcatus (Aegean Sea), the decapod shrimp Melicertus hathor (island of Kastellorizo, Greece), the crab Menoethius monoceros (Gulf of Tunis), the barnacles Balanus trigonus, Megabalanus tintinnabulum, Megabalanus coccopoma and the bivalves Chama asperella, Cucurbitula cymbium (Saronikos Gulf, Greece)

Errata to the Review Article (Medit. Mar. Sci. 11/2, 2010, 381-493): "Alien species in the Mediterranean Sea by 2010. A contribution to the application of European Union’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Part I. Spatial distribution"

The state-of-art on alien species in the Mediterranean Sea is presented, making distinctions among the four subregions defined in the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive: (i) the Western Mediterranean Sea (WMED); (ii) the Central Mediterranean Sea (CMED); (iii) the Adriatic Sea (ADRIA); and (iv) the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMED). The updated checklist (December 2010) of marine alien species within each subregion, along with their acclimatization status and origin, is provided. A total of 955 alien species is known in the Mediterranean, the vast majority of them having being introduced in the EMED (718), less in the WMED (328) and CMED (267) and least in the Adriatic (171). Of these, 535 species (56%) are established in at least one area.Despite the collective effort of experts who attempted in this work, the number of introduced species remains probably underestimated. Excluding microalgae, for which knowledge is still insufficient, aliens have increased the total species richness of the Mediterranean Sea by 5.9%. This figure should not be directly read as an indication of higher biodiversity, as spreading of so many aliens within the basin is possibly causing biotic homogenization. Thermophilic species, i.e. Indo-Pacific, Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Tropical Atlantic, Tropical Pacific, and circum(sub)tropical, account for 88.4% of the introduced species in the EMED, 72.8% in the CMED, 59.3% in the WMED and 56.1% in the Adriatic. Cold water species, i.e. circumboreal, N Atlantic, and N Pacific, make up a small percentage of the introduced species, ranging between 4.2% and 21.6% and being more numerous in the Adriatic and less so in the EMED.Species that are classified as invasive or potentially invasive are 134 in the whole of the Mediterranean: 108 are present in the EMED, 76 in the CMED, 53 in the Adriatic and 64 in the WMED. The WMED hosts most invasive macrophytes, whereas the EMED has the lion’s share in polychaetes, crustaceans, molluscs and fish

New localities for Automate branchialis Holthuis & Gottlieb, 1958 (Decapoda, Alpheidae) in the Mediterranean Sea

WOS: 00017568400001