Vol.27 – 2021 – No.1

First record of Leucothea multicornis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824) (Ctenophora:  Lobota: Leucotheidae) in the Lebanese coastal waters, eastern Mediterranean Sea

Ghazi Bitar, Ali Badreddine

ORCID IDs: G.B. 0000-0003-0270-5613; A.B. 0000-0003-4576-7400

Faculty of Sciences, Lebanese University, Hadath, Beirut, LEBANON

Abstract

The warty comb jelly Leucothea multicornis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824) is reported for the first time in the Lebanese waters. It was observed and photographed in Enfeh (north Lebanon) at a depth of 2 m on 12 May 2019. The details about this observation are presented.

Keywords: Ctenophora, Leucothea multicornis, Lebanese waters, eastern Mediterranean Sea

References

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Badreddine, A., Bitar, G. in Stern, N., Badreddine, A., Bitar, G., Crocetta, F., Deidun, A., Dragičević, B., Dulčić, J., Durgham, H., Galil, B., Galiya, M., Ikhtiyar, S., Izquiredo-Muñoz, A., Kassar, A., Lombardo, A., Lubinevsky, H., Masalles, D., Othman, R., Oussellam, M., Pešić, V., Pipitone, C., et al. (2019) New Mediterranean biodiversity records 2019. Mediterranean Marine Science 20(2): 409-426.

Badreddine, A., Bitar, G., Ouba, A., Shiganova, T. (2020) On the presence of the non-native Beroe ovata Bruguière, 1789 and the spread off the invasive Mnemiopsis leidyi A. Agassiz, 1865 in the Lebanese waters, eastern Mediterranean Sea. International Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Research 6(2): 125-133.

Çinar, M.E., Yokes, M.B., Açik, Ş., Bakir, A.K. (2014) Checklist of Cnidaria and Ctenophora from the coasts of Turkey. Turkish Journal of Zoology 38(6): 677-697.

Deidun, A. (2011) A collection of recent ctenophore sightings from the Maltese Islands. Journal of the Black Sea/Medit Environ 17(1): 4-13.

Digenis, M., Gerovasileiou, V. (2020) First record of Leucothea multicornis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824) (Ctenophora: Leucotheidae) in Greek waters. Acta Zool Bulg 72(3): 499-500.

Galil, B.S., Rothman, S.B.S., Gevili, R., Shiganova, T. (2014) First record of Leucothea multicornis (Ctenophora: Lobata: Leucothidae) in the eastern Mediterranean. Marine Biodiversity Records 7: 1-3.

Gokoglu, M., Galil, B. S. (2020) New records of siphonophores and ctenophores in the Levant Sea. Journal of the Black Sea/Medit Environ 26(2): 190-202.

Mamish, S., Durgham, H., Ikhtiyar, S. (2019) First record of Leucothea multicornis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824) off the Syrian coastal water, (eastern Mediterranean Sea). SSRG International Journal of Agriculture & Environmental Science (SSRG-IJAES) 6: 1-4.

Oliveira, O.P., Migotto, A.E. (2006) Pelagic ctenophores from the São Sebastião Channel, southeastern Brazil. Zootaxa 1183: 1-26.

Shiganova, T.A., Malej, A. (2009) Native and non-native ctenophores in the Gulf of Trieste, Northern Adriatic Sea. Journal of Plankton Research 31(1): 61-71.

Tilves, U., Purcell, J.E., Marambio, M., Canepa, A., Olariaga, A., Fuentes, V. (2013) Predation by the scyphozoan Pelagia noctiluca on Mnemiopsis leidyi ctenophores in the NW Mediterranean Sea. Journal of Plankton Research 35(1): 218-224.

The first record of Synanceia verrucosa Bloch & Schneider, 1801 and Pagrus auriga Valenciennes, 1843 from Cyprus

Hasan Deniz Akbora, Burak Ali Çiçek, Deniz Ayas

ORCID IDs: H.D.A. 0000-0002-6647-866X; B.A.Ç. 0000-0001-6144-1721; D.A. 0000-0001-6762-6284

Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Eastern Mediterranean University, Famagusta, 99628, North CYPRUS via Mersin on TURKEY
Faculty of Fisheries, Mersin University, Yenişehir Campus, 33160, Mersin, TURKEY

Abstract

On May 14, 2020, a stonefish (Synanceia verrucosa Bloch & Schneider, 1801) was caught using a speargun in Kumyalı in the north of Cyprus Island. The fish was photographed and reported. On November 19, 2020, red-banded seabream (Pagrus auriga Valenciennes, 1843) was caught with a speargun near Girne (Kyrenia) Harbour. The fish is stored in the laboratory of the Eastern Mediterranean University, Department of Biological Sciences. These records are the first from the waters of Cyprus. The record of stonefish is an issue to be considered since its spines are quite poisonous.

Keywords: Stonefish, alien species, venomous fish, migration, red-banded seabream, Mediterranean

References

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Bilecenoglu, M. (2012) First sighting of the Red Sea originated stonefish (Synanceia verrucosa) from Turkey. Journal of the Black Sea/Medit Environ 18(1): 76-82.

Breton, P., Delamanche, I., Buée, J., Goudey-Perriére, F., Perriére, C. (2002) Evidence for a neurotoxic activity in crude venom of the stonefish (Synanceia verrucosa). Journal of Natural Toxins 11(4): 305-313.

Carpenter, K.E., De Angelis, N. (2016) The Living Marine Resources of the Eastern Central Atlantic. Volume 4: Part 2, Bony Fishes (Tetradontiformes to Perciformes) and Sea Turtles. FAO, Rome, 1509 p.

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Edelist, D., Spanier, E., Golani, D. (2011) Evidence for the occurrence of the Indo-Pacific stonefish, Synanceia verrucosa (Actinopterygii: Scorpaeniformes: Synanceiidae), in the Mediterranean Sea. Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria 41(2): 129.

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Ghanem, H., Khan, M. T., Al-Ghanem, S., Al-Qasem, G. (2019) Stonefish (Synanceiea verrucosa) Envenomation in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Journal of the Bahrain Medical Society 31(1): 5-9.

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İbrahim, A., Alshawy, F., Hussein, C. (2019) Stonefish Synanceia verrucosa Bloch & Schneider, 1801 (Actinopterygii: Synanceiidae): the first record in the Syrian coast and the fourth in the Mediterranean. International Journal of Aquatic Biology 7(6): 383-386.

Iglésias, S., Frotté, L. (2015) Alien marine fishes in Cyprus: update and new records. Aquatic Invasions 10(4): 425-438.

Katsanevakis, S., Tsiamis, K., Ioannou, G., Michailidis, N., Zenetos, A. (2009) Inventory of alien marine species of Cyprus. Mediterranean Marine Science 10(2): 109-134.

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Maillaud, C., Hoang-Oppermann, T., Hoang-Oppermann, V., Rigot, H., Girardot, S., Nour, M. (2020) Is stonefish Synanceia verrucosa envenomation potentially lethal? Toxicon 184: 78-82.

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The alien lionfish, Pterois miles (Bennett, 1828), enters the Adriatic Sea, Central Mediterranean Sea

Vincenzo Di Martino, Bessy Stancanelli

ORCID IDs: V.D.M. 0000-0002-5987-0954; B.S. 0000-0001-7126-0633

CNR/ISAFOM, via Empedocle n° 58; 95128 Catania, ITALY
Aqua Stories, via Vampolieri n° 25; 95022 Aci Catena, ITALY

Abstract

The lionfish Pterois miles (Bennett, 1828), is considered one of the most dangerous invasive species for the Mediterranean biome. Since its first sighting back in 1991, the species spread widely along the Levantine Basin, in the central Mediterranean, along the North African coasts (from Egypt to Tunisia) and in Sicily. This paper reports the first sightings of the lionfish from the Adriatic Sea, in the coasts of Puglia and Albania, observed during July 2019 and August 2020.

Keywords: Pterois miles, northward dispersal, Puglia, Albania, Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean Sea

References

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First record of small scaled terapon, Terapon puta Cuvier, 1829, in Turkey

Meltem Manasırlı, Sinan Mavruk

ORCID IDs: M.M. 0000-0002-0164-6693; S.M. 0000-0003-1958-0634

Fisheries Faculty, Çukurova University, 01330, Balcalı, Adana, TURKEY

Abstract

The small scaled terapon, Terapon puta Cuvier, 1829, is an amphidromous species native to the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific Ocean, inhabiting marine, brackish and freshwater habitats. It entered to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal and established populations in the south-eastern and eastern coasts of the Levantine Basin. Here, we report the northernmost occurrence of T. puta from the Turkish coasts of the Mediterranean Sea for the first time. On 2 February 2020, a single specimen of T. puta (8.4 cm total length) was caught by a recreational fisherman at 10 m depth off Yumurtalık coast, İskenderun Bay (36.75° N, 35.73° E).

Keywords: Terapontidae, Lessepsian, Levantine Basin, Iskenderun Bay, range expansion

References

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Sea bottom features of eastern İzmit Bay and entrance zone of the North Anatolian Fault in the northeastern Marmara Sea

Vedat Ediger, Ali Cankurtaranlar, Onur Akyol

ORCID IDs: V.E. 0000-0003-4388-7951; A.C. 0000-0002-6044-5111; O.A. 0000-0003-3956-1449

TÜBİTAK MAM Earth and Marine Sciences Institute, P.O. Box 21, 41470 Gebze, Kocaeli, TURKEY
TÜBİTAK MAM Environment and Cleaner Production Institute, P.O. Box 21, 41470, Gebze, Kocaeli, TURKEY

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the North Anatolian Fault (NAF) entrance into Izmit Bay. Upper Quaternary submarine features (gas seeps, gas bearing sediments, pockmarks, mud volcanos, sediment structures and faults) and alongation of the NAF from land to İzmit Bay are investigated by using water depth data, high-resolution shallow seismic profiles, side scan sonar images, and borehole logs. The presence of acoustic anomalies in the Late Quaternary sequences was observed intensely and these anomalies were interpreted as gas bearing sediments. As a result of earthquakes and / or mass movements, the amount of buried gas accumulated along the sediment column may have increased or displaced. In this study, five different gas bearing layers are classified and their distribution patterns are mapped. It has been determined that the active faults in the region that shaped the coastal zone and sea floor morphology of the İzmit Bay are in two different groups. The first group consists of right-lateral strike-slip faults that run along the north and south slopes of the east depression and are in the east-west direction. The secondary group of faults have normal fault characteristics. These secondary faults are parallel to the depth contour lines of the deltas.

Keywords: Late-Quaternary, shallow seismic, side scan sonar, gas bearing sediments, pockmark, mud volcano

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Ludmila V. Vorobyova

ORCID ID: 0000-0002-5536-8836

Institute of Marine Biology of the NAS of Ukraine, Pushkinskaya str., 37, Odessa 65048, UKRAINE

Abstract

Based on long-term data, regularities in the dynamics of the distribution and the average long-term abundance of taxocene representatives Foraminifera depending on some abiotic factors (type of bottom substrates, depth, bottom water temperature, oxygen regime) are discussed. The high concentration of Foraminifers in the Odessa Sea Region (OSR) was a characteristic of silty substrates at a depth of 16-20 m (average 133,134.5±21,745.1 ind m^-2, maximum 835,000 ind m^-2 during hypoxia). The Foraminifera played a greatest role in the formation of the total abundance of meiobenthos in spring, with a deficit of dissolved oxygen in the lower layers of water. An active increase in numbers was observed both at a low dissolved oxygen content of 1-4 mg/l and at 9 mg/l O₂.

Keywords: Odessa Sea Region, Black Sea, Foraminifera, abiotic factors

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H. Barış Özalp

ORCID ID: 0000-0003-2640-8912

Vocational School of Ocean Engineering, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale, TURKEY
Faculty of Marine Sciences and Technology, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale, TURKEY

Abstract

During the regular surveys on coral monitoring for setting their developmental level, health status and likely threats responsible for mortality, a massive mucilage phenomenon was identified in the largest coral habitats in the Çanakkale Strait (Dardanelles) in December 2020. This study was performed to determine the effect of mucilage event on corals mainly observed at the depth level of 39-51 m in two stations, one in the European and the other in the Anatolian side of the strait. A massive mucilage with expanding cloud and floc types of aggregates was detected only in the Eceabat region (European side). A false-benthos mucilage was also identified at depths 4-20 m in the following control surveys. The current report is of the first circalittoral observation of this damaging event in the northernmost region of the Mediterranean Sea. Previous records of massive mucilage were reviewed and the first deep infralittoral record of massive mucilage event in 2008 is also described.

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Zengin, M., Güngör, H., Demirkol, C., Yüksek, A. (2010) Effects of mucilage bloom on the fisheries of the Sea of Marmara through the 2007/2008 fishing period. Proceedings of the workshop on Algal and Jellyfish Blooms in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, October, 6-8, 2010, Turkey.

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A preliminary study on marine top predators inhabiting Gökçeada Island, the North Aegean Sea

Nur Bikem Kesici, Cem Dalyan, Onur Gönülal, Aylin Akkaya, Patrick Lyne, Suna Tüzün, Belen Yıldırım

ORCID IDs: N.B.K. 0000-0002-9636-1649; C.D. 0000-0002-7386-5641; O.G.0000-0002-5559-3953; A.A. 0000-0002-0414-770X;
P.L. 0000-0002-8326-5180; S.T. 0000-0003-2876-788X; B.Y 0000-0002-4768-0213

Division of Hydrobiology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Istanbul University, Istanbul, TURKEY
Faculty of Aquatic Sciences, Istanbul University, Ordu Street, No:8, Laleli, Fatih, Istanbul, TURKEY
DMAD-Marine Mammals Research Association, Antalya, TURKEY
Sea Mammal Research Unit, University of St. Andrews, Scotland, UNITED KINGDOM

Abstract

Marine top predators, such as sharks, teleosts and cetaceans, are great indicators of a healthy ecosystem. The primary goal of this paper is to fill the knowledge gaps on top predators in Gökçeada Island located in the North Aegean Sea. Data on marine top predators were collected through Local Ecological Knowledge. Besides, visual and acoustic field surveys were carried out in the summer and autumn of 2019 and winter of 2020. According to the results of the current study, a total of 464 individuals were reported via social media platforms and questionnaires applied to stakeholders as fishermen, divers and harpooners. Delphinus delphis Linnaeus, 1758, Tursiops truncatus (Montagu, 1821) and Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758 were detected during approximately 15 hours of acoustic recording. The records of Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758), Isurus oxyrinchus Rafinesque, 1810, Xiphias gladius Linnaeus, 1758, Thunnus thynnus (Linnaeus, 1758), D. delphis, Stenella coeruleoalba (Meyen, 1833), T. truncatus, Grampus griseus (Cuvier, 1812), P. macrocephalus, Ziphius cavirostris (Cuvier, 1823), Monachus monachus (Hermann, 1779) were listed in this study. A total of 358 individuals of X. gladius and T. thynnus were reported between the years 2017-2020, being the most abundant top predators in the area.

Keywords: Marine apex predators, sharks, large teleosts, marine mammals, local ecological knowledge

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Sea water temperature in the North Aegean Sea (Gökçeada Island) between 1972 and 2018: an implication of global warming

Onur Gönülal

ORCID ID: 0000-0002-5559-3953

Faculty of Aquatic Sciences, Istanbul University, Balabanağa, Ordu st. No 8, 34134 Fatih, Istanbul, TURKEY
Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TUDAV), P.O. Box: 10, Beykoz, Istanbul, TURKEY

Abstract

Long-term oceanographical measurements are scarce in the eastern Mediterranean, including the Turkish water. This study evaluated the long-term measurements of surface sea water temperature, which is the most critical parameter in terms of global warming, at Gökçeada Island in the North Aegean Sea between 1972 and 2018. It has been determined that the sea surface temperature (SST) increased by 1.6°C from 1972 to 2018. This long term and regularly sampled dataset can be an important baseline data for future studies of climate change as well as for national oceanographic monitoring at the Turkish part of the North Aegean Sea.

Keywords: Climate change, sea water temperature, long-term monitoring

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Can social media platforms play a role in sea turtle conservation efforts in Libya in times of war and political/economic instability?

Jamila Rizgalla

ORCID ID: 0000-0002-5699-5321

Department of Aquaculture, University of Tripoli, Tripoli, LIBYA

Abstract

Despite the fact that Libya’s beaches are considered to be some of the main nesting areas in the Mediterranean Sea of the loggerhead sea turtle, reports on sea turtle stranding in Libyan waters are scarce. Social media platforms offer a cost-effective, alternative resource that can be used to obtain otherwise lost or unavailable information. In the present study, social media platforms were used to assess sea turtles in Libyan waters between 2010-2020. Images (n=177) shared on social media included sea turtle (live and deceased), stranding, nesting activity and egg poaching. From 159 sea turtle related posted at various conditions, 132 were found stranded, of which 34.84 % were related to fishing activity, while, for 53.7% of the cases, it was not possible to determine the cause of stranding. Furthermore, a citizen science network was used to monitor three remote nesting beaches in the centre of Libya between 18 May-3 July 2020, recording 34 nests. The usefulness of social media as a resource for assessing sea turtles stranding and nesting activity along Libyan remote beaches, especially in times of war and political instability, has been demonstrated.

Keywords: Citizen science, Gulf of Sidra, monitoring, loggerhead sea turtle, green sea turtle, leatherback sea turtle

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