Tahir Özcan

On the occurrence of Chelonibia patula (Cirripedia) on the coasts of Turkey

Chelonibia patula (Ranzani, 1820) is a cosmopolitan species. It was reported on artificial subtratum (Relini, 1980; Frazier & Margaritoulis, 1990) and there are also many host-basibionts for this species in the world’s oceans. Some of these are sea turtles (Ross & Jackson, 1972; Jones et al., 2000; Kitsos et al., 2003), portunid crabs (Williams & Porter, 1964; Mahjabeen & Mustaquim, 1994; Pasternak et al., 2002), gastropods (Darwin, 1854) and manatees (Cintron de Jesus, 2001). Chelonibia patula has been known from the western and central Mediterranean Sea and the Levantine Basin

First record of Palaemonetes mesopotamicus Pesta, 1913 (Decapoda: Palaemonidae) from Turkey

Authors’ addresses: Shalva Barjadze and Maka Murvanidze, Entomology and Biocontrol Research Centre, Agrarian University of Georgia, 13 km. of David Aghmashenebeli Alley, 0131, Tbilisi, Georgia. – Hans-Jürgen Schulz and Ulrich Burkhardt, Senckenberg Museum of Natural History, PO Box 300154, 02806, Görlitz, Germany. – Mikhail B. Potapov, Moscow State Pedagogical University, Department of Zoology and Ecology, Kibalchicha str. 6, 129278, Moscow, Russia. – E-mail: shalva1980@yahoo.com.

Decapod crustaceans new to the fauna of Cyprus

Cyprus is surrounded by the waters of the Levantine Sea, eastern Mediterranean, characterized by a higher temperature and salinity as compared to the rest of the Mediterranean Sea (Galil, 1992; Kocatas et al., 2001). The first study on the decapod crustacean fauna of the island was carried out by Heller (1863), and only 12 species had been reported by the late 19th century (see Unger & Kotschy, 1865; Plateau, 1884; Adensamer, 1898). Until recently, 150 species of decapods (44 Natantia, 11 Macrura Reptantia, 24 Anomura, 71 Brachyura) were known to occur along the Cyprus coasts (Lewinsohn & Holthuis, 1986; Kocatas et al., 2001). The study on which our present report is based, was conducted along the northern coast of Cyprus in the period 18.x.2003-03.xi.2003. Specimens were obtained by means of a Van Veen grab, a dredge, and a trawl employed over sandy-silt bottoms at depths between 11 and 225 m (fig. 1). The specimens, including those photographed, are preserved in 4% formaldehyde and deposited in the Museum of the Faculty of Fisheries, Ege University, Bornova-Izmir. With this report, the number species of Decapoda known to occur on the Cyprus coasts has increased to 152: Sicyonia carinata (Brunnich, 1768) and Upogebia mediterranea Noel, 1992 are new records for the decapod fauna of Cyprus. The nomenclature for these species follows Marine Species (2007).

Macrobenthic fauna associated with the invasive alien species Brachidontes pharaonis (Mollusca: Bivalvia) in the Levantine Sea (Turkey)

The invasive alien mytilid species, Brachidontes pharaonis , forms a biogenic habitat in the mediolittoral and upper-infralittoral zones of the Levantine Sea, hosting a number of alien and native species. Examinations of samples taken from dense, continuous mussel beds at seven stations along the coast of northern Levantine Sea yielded 187 macro-benthic invertebrate species belonging to 11 taxonomic groups. Polychaeta accounted for 46% and 37% of the total number of species and individuals, respectively. The top three dominant species in the mussel beds were Stenothoe gallensis, Spirobranchus kraussi and Mytilaster minimus . The species with the highest frequency values on the mussel beds were Pseudonereis anomala, Phascolosoma stephensoni and Elasmopus pocillimanus . The highest density and biomass of the associated fauna were estimated as 42,550 ind m −2 and 1503 wwt g m −2 , respectively. The species number in samples varied between 14 and 47 species. The environmental variables best explaining variations in zoobenthic community structures were salinity, dissolved oxygen and total inorganic nitrogen in the water column. The biotic indices, TUBI and ALEX, classified the ecological status of one or two stations as moderate or poor, based on the relative abundances of ecological and zoogeographic groups, respectively. A total of 21 alien species were found to be associated with the mussel bed, of which Syllis ergeni is being newly considered as a new established alien species for the Mediterranean Sea. The maximum density of associated alien species was calculated as 30,300 ind m −2 . The alien species assemblages were greatly affected by salinity and total inorganic nitrogen.

Gulf of Antalya (Levantine Sea): a new locality for Ogyrides mjoebergi

A single male specimen of Ogyrides mjoebergi was captured on 28 September 2005, in the Gulf of Antalya. With this new locality, this species seems to have started to spread to a wider area by the Levantine Sea coasts in Turkey.

A new record of a sea spider from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea: Ascorhynchus castelli (Dohrn, 1881) (Arthropoda: Pycnogonida)

The sea spiders (Pycnogonida) of the Levantine Sea are poorly known, and it is only recently that marine biology researchers have been focusing on this area. A check list of pycnogonids from the Mediterranean Sea, including the Black Sea, reports a total of 30 species (CHIMENZ & LATTANZI 2003; KRAPP et al. 2008), with less than half this number (26 species) being known from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (KRAPP et al. 2008). In September 2005, we carried out a benthic survey of the sandy sea bottom at depths between 200 and 250 m off the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. We found pycnogonids only once, off Anamur (36°02’N, 32°53’E, 23.ix.2005) on the hydrozoa community of Turritopsis dohrnii (Weismann, 1883) which had settled on a conduit material lying on the sandy bottom at a depth of 250 m. Salinity was 39.4‰, water temperature 21oC, dissolved oxygen 6.75 mg/l and water transparency measured with a secci disc 34 m. Only one species was identified, Ascorhynchus castelli (Dohrn, 1881), with a total of 30 specimens (13 , 17 ) (Fig. 2). The specimens were fixed in 4% formaldehyde solution and deposited in the Museum of the Faculty of Fisheries, Ege University, Bornovazmir, Turkey (ESFM-PYC/2005-4). The species was identified by using BOUVIER (1923) and STOCK (1968) and is distinguishable by the following main characters: proboscis inserted directly on the cephalon and almost half the body length; cephalon of similar length as the trunk (subcylindrical), abdomen cylindrical; legs with a strong, blunt projection on distal-dorsal portion of femur and tibia 1; tarsus short, about four times shorter than propodus length. One adult specimen was selected as a collection sample specimen (Fig. 1): length of trunk: 4.1 mm; abdomen length 0.9 mm; cephalon length: 0.5 mm; proboscis length: 3.0 mm.