Findings on pelagic macro crustacean species of the Finike Seamounts Special Environment Protection Area (SEPA), the eastern Mediterranean Sea

Onur Gönülal

ORCID ID: O.G. 0000-0002-5559-3953

Faculty of Aquatic Sciences, Istanbul University, Onaltı Mart Şehitleri Cad. No: 2, 34134, Fatih, Istanbul, TÜRKİYE
Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TUDAV), P.O. Box: 10, Beykoz, Istanbul, TÜRKİYE

Abstract

The ecology of seamounts in the Mediterranean Sea is poorly investigated. This paper aims to make contribution to the knowledge of the deep-sea pelagic fauna of the Finike Seamounts Special Environmental Protection Area (SEPA). Eight species of the pelagic crustaceans were recorded during the spring and fall surveys in 2021. The most abundant species was Euphausia krohnii, followed by Robustosergia robusta and Allosergestes sargassi, in this study. The other five species, Nematoscelis atlantica, Stylocheiron longicorne, Thysanopoda aequalis, Amalopenaeus elegans and Lucifer typus, were found in lower abundance.

Keywords: Finike Seamounts, Euphausiacea, pelagic crustacea

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