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

Effects of dietary androstenedione concentration on growth of tilapia fry (Oreochromis aureus Linnaeus)

The effects of androstenedione on the growth, body composition, and survival of tilapia (Oreochromis aureus) fry were examined. Diets were supplemented by one of three androstene- dione concentrations (50, 100, or 200 mg/kg) for twelve weeks. The growth rate significantly increased in fish fed 50 mg androstenedione per kg compared to the control (p<0.01) but decreased dramatically at concentrations beyond 50 mg/kg. The specific growth rate, protein efficiency ratio, and food conversion ratio were significantly better in the 50 mg/kg group than in the other groups. Crude protein and survival at all androstenedione levels did not significantly differ from those of the control but lipid content dropped with 100 mg/kg supplementation

Holothuria (Theelothuria) hamata Pearson 1913

&lt;i&gt;Holothuria (Theelothuria) hamata&lt;/i&gt; Pearson, 1913 &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Holothuria hamata&lt;/i&gt; Pearson, 1913: 51, pl. 5; Pl. 6, fig.2; Cherbonnier, 1955: 156, pl. 39, figs a&ndash;m, pl. 40, figs n&ndash;w; Domantay,&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; 1957: 429; Cherbonnier, 1959: 250; Daniel and Halder, 1974: 417. &lt;i&gt;Holothuria (Holothuria) hamata&lt;/i&gt;; Panning, 1935: 83, fig. 70a&ndash;e. &lt;i&gt;Holothuria (Theelothuria) hamata&lt;/i&gt;; Rowe, 1969: 158; Clark and Rowe, 1971: 179; Sloan, Clark, &amp; Taylor, 1979: 123; Price,&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; 1982: 11; Rowe and Gates, 1995: 300; Samyn, 2003: 78, 80, 121. &lt;i&gt;Holothuria ocellata&lt;/i&gt; (Jaeger, 1833); Teo and Ng, 2009: 411&ndash;414, fig. 2 (non &lt;i&gt;Holothuria ocellata&lt;/i&gt;).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Status and location of name-bearing types:&lt;/i&gt; 2 syntypes in Colombo Museum, Colombo, Sri Lanka, according to Rowe and Gates (1995).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Type locality:&lt;/i&gt; Suez.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Material examined.&lt;/i&gt; 1 specimen, Arsuz coast (Hatay), Iskenderun Bay (36 o 25' 085&rdquo; N&ndash;35 o 52' 588&rdquo; E) on 11 November 2017, 30 m depth, buried in sand. (Note: the sampled individual was kept in seawater at -18 &deg; C for 2 months. We observed that it retained its external characteristics and color throughout this time-frame)&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;General Description.&lt;/i&gt; Unique specimen medium to large, well relaxed, &plusmn; 21 cm long and &plusmn; 4,5 cm wide. Body elongate, tapering at both ends; bivium convex (Figure 2A), trivium flattened (Figure 2B). Body colour in life: dorsal grayish to yellowish-brown with prominent conical brown papillae with lighter tip and surrounded by a narrow light-grey band in which irregularly placed dark grey spots are present; ventral surface greenish-grey medially and light-gray laterally, speckled with minute irregularly placed grey spots; papillae on mid-ventral body whitish-green, bordered by a greenish ring which in turn is bordered by a lighter rim that contrasts with the darker background; lateral papillae light-gray in colour. Body wall 2&ndash;4 mm thick, gritty to the touch. Mouth ventral and anus terminal, both mouth and anus surrounded by papillae. Bivium and trivium separated by a single rim of large, long papillae, some of them fused at their base; ventrally some smaller papillae intercalate in the interambulacrum; lateral papillae &plusmn; 20 in number on each side. Papillae of trivium predominantly in ambulacral areas, but with some spreading into the interambulacral areas, arrangement in 5 rows, about 25 papillae per row. Papillae of bivium only in ambulacral areas, in 2&ndash;3 irregular rows; some 30 papillae per row. All dorsal, lateral and ventral papillae nonretractle. Cuvierian tubules absent. Structure of calcareous ring, structure and number of stone canals, madreporite(s), Polian vesicle(s), not studied.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Ossicles:&lt;/i&gt; Tentacles with spiny rods, 237&ndash;526 &micro;m long (Figure 3A). Ventral and dorsal body wall with similar tables and buttons. Tables (Figure 3B, C) with spiny disc, 80&ndash;110 &micro;m across, perforated by four central holes and 9&ndash;14 peripheral holes; disc flat; spire with a single cross-beam ending in a wide crown adorned with numerous teeth/spines; spire often spiny also at base giving the table a &lsquo;compact&rsquo; very spine/thorny look (Figure 3D). Buttons knobbed or somewhat spiny, regular, with 3 pairs of holes, 135&ndash;255 &micro;m long and 77&ndash;134 &micro;m wide. Some buttons modified to ellipsoids with up to five pairs of holes and with both lateral and medial nodules, such buttons 25&ndash;44 &micro;m long and 14&ndash;26 &micro;m wide (Figure 3E).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Papillae with rods, plates and tables. Rods (Figure 3F) perforated throughout their length, 200&ndash;338 &micro;m long, but some only with enlarged and perforated central part. Most tables of papillae with discs 80&ndash;110 &micro;m in diameter and spires 97&ndash;120 &micro;m high. Some tables different from those of the body wall with their disc generally less spiny or smooth, more perforated and with a tall attenuating spire provided with several cross-beams; giving the table a typical tack-like appearance; discs of such tables have a wide undulating rim 135&ndash;168 &micro;m in diameter, perforated by numerous holes; the spire terminating in a narrow point (Figure 3G).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Distribution:&lt;/i&gt; Suez Bay (Pearson, 1913; Panning, 1935; Cherbonnier, 1955, 1959), Red Sea (Rowe, 1969), Maldives (Clark &amp; Rowe, 1971), Seychelles, Aldabra (Sloan &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;., 1979), Kenya? (Samyn, 2003); Indian Ocean, exact locality not specified (Domantay, 1957); Northern Australia (Rowe &amp; Gates, 1995).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Rowe and Gates (1995) note a bathymetric distribution from 9&ndash; 190 m.&lt;/p&gt;Published as part of &lt;i&gt;Aydin, Mehmet, Gurlek, Mevlut, Samyn, Yves, Erguden, Deniz &amp; Turan, Cemal, 2019, First record of a Lessepsian migrant: the sea cucumber Holothuria (Theelothuria) hamata Pearson, 1913, pp. 94-100 in Zootaxa 4551 (1)&lt;/i&gt; on pages 95-96, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4551.1.7, &lt;a href="http://zenodo.org/record/2622628"&gt;http://zenodo.org/record/2622628&lt;/a&gt

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

First record of a Lessepsian migrant: the sea cucumber Holothuria (Theelothuria) hamata Pearson, 1913

Aydin, Mehmet, Gurlek, Mevlut, Samyn, Yves, Erguden, Deniz, Turan, Cemal (2019): First record of a Lessepsian migrant: the sea cucumber Holothuria (Theelothuria) hamata Pearson, 1913. Zootaxa 4551 (1): 94-100, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4551.1.

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

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

Genetic variation of Atlantic horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) in the Turkish waters

Geographic variations of Truchurus trachurus based on mitochondrial 16S rDNA gene from 8 locations, including the Black, Marmara, Aegean and north-eastern Mediterranean Seas, were investigated. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses revealed 14 different composite haplotypes for 307 individuals and diagnostic restriction sites for discriminating among populations. The distribution of haplotypic groups mostly followed the geographic origin of populations. Average haplotype diversity within populations was high (0.7311), and nucleotide diversity was low (0.0071). Mean nucleotide divergence among samples of T. trachurus was 0.00271. The highest value of pairwise inter-group nucleotide divergence was detected between the West and East Black Sea samples (0.01119), and the lowest (-0.00018) between the two North-eastern Mediterranean samples. In Monte Carlo pairwise comparisons of haplotype frequencies genetically different populations were detected. The distribution of haplotypes and the pairwise estimate of nucleotide divergence exposed high differentiation of the Black Sea (BS2) population with respect to the others. Mantel's test showed that the genetic distances between these Populations were not associated with their geographical distances (r = 0.326; P > 0.05)

POPULATION GENETIC ANALYSIS OF ATLANTIC BONITO Sarda sarda (BLOCH, 1793) USING SEQUENCE ANALYSIS OF MTDNA D-LOOP REGION

In this study mitochondrial DNA D-loop gene sequencing was used to investigate genetic structure of 11 Atlantic bonito Sarda sarda populations from the Black Sea, Marmara, Aegean, Mediterranean Seas and Adriatic Sea. The total sequence length, variable sites and parsimony informative sites were 868 bp, 12 bp and 7 bp from 222 individuals, respectively. The nucleotide frequencies were 32.55% A, 31.32% T, 14.44% C, and 21.68% G. The total number of haplotypes was 19, and the highest number of different haplotypes was observed in the nortestem Mediterranean (the Iskenderun Bay) sample, and the lowest was observed in the Bulgarian sample. Low genetic diversity was observed within populations, and the mean genetic diversity within populations and the mean genetic divergence between populations were 0.0009 and 0.0013, respectively. In the statistical analysis, S. sarda was divided into three genetically different populations (P<0.001); the Black and Marmara Sea populations comprise one genetic unit, and the Aegean and Mediterranean coast of Turkey populations constitute the genetically different second unit. The Adriatic Sea population from Croatian coast was also genetically different from these two units. The neighbor joining tree revealed three main phylogenetic nodes; in the first node, the Black Sea, Bosphorus and Marmara Sea samples were grouped close together. In the second main node; the Aegean and northeastern Mediterranean Seas samples were clustered close to each other, and the Adriatic Sea sample was far from these samples, but closer to the Aegean and northeastern Mediterranean samples than the Black Sea and Marmara Sea samples