Some observations on the ichthyofauna of the Finike (Anaximander) Seamounts, the eastern Mediterranean

Cem Dalyan, Nur Bikem Kesici, Sinan Mavruk, Ahsen Yüksek

ORCID IDs: C.D. 0000-0002-7386-5641; N.B.K. 0000-0002-9636-1649; S.M. 0000-0003-1958-0634; A.Y. 0000-0001-7949-3001

Division of Hydrobiology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Istanbul University, Istanbul, TÜRKİYE
Department of Marine Biology, Fisheries Faculty, Cukurova University, Adana, TÜRKİYE
Department of Physical Oceanography and Marine Biology, Institute of Marine Sciences and Management, İstanbul, TÜRKİYE

Abstract

Deep sea ecosystems are home to many unique habitats. Considering the Mediterranean Sea, extreme environments are clustered mainly in the eastern basin such as the Nile Deep Sea Fan, Finike (Anaximander) and Eratosthenes Seamounts, Olimpi mud volcano field, Calabrian Arc and Marmara deep fault systems. This study was conducted in the Finike Seamounts, to assess the ichthyofauna of the area with a depth of down to 2200 m. Samples of larval, juvenile and adult phases indicated the presence of 20 fish species belonging to 13 families in and around the Finike Seamounts area. The collected individuals consisted of 422 adults, 6 juveniles and 31 larvae. Most of the individuals belonged to Cyclothone braueri, all of them being adults.

Keywords: Eastern Mediterranean, deep sea, seamount, fish, larvae

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