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Since 2014, an invasive alien fish species, lionfish, Pterois miles (Bennett, 1828) has been started to distribute in the Turkish Mediterranean Sea coasts and spread out to the Aegean Sea. In the present study, a Cymothoid fish parasite, Nerocila bivittata (Risso, 1816) is reported from the pectoral fin of P. miles caught from the Gulf of Iskenderun (Northeastern Mediterranean) and Bodrum, Turkey (Aegean Sea Coast). This study is the first record of N. bivittata on lionfish P. miles caught from Gulf of Iskenderun. Key diagnostic characters of N. bivittata, some morphological differences observed between the newly collected material of N. bivittata and its previous descriptions, in addition to newly observed additional characters were presented.

Risso’s dolphin Grampus griseus was stranded on the coast of Arsuz-Uluçınar, Iskenderun Bay, Tur-key in the northeastern Mediterranean on 29 March 2022. This study was conducted to reveal the relationship between G. griseus and microplastic debris in the northeastern Mediterranean Sea. The gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of one stranding G. griseus was examined, and 454 microplastics particles were extracted. Of all, the majority of them were fibers (96%), black in colour (62%), and 0.5-1 mm in size (38%). This paper represents the first data indicating the microplastic abundance in G. griseus from the northeastern Mediterranean Sea. Also, it creates a baseline to understand the relationship between cetaceans and microplastics in this region.

A single specimen white seabream, Diplodus sargus (Linnaeus, 1758), was recorded on 11 November 2019 from the coast of Konacık (Arsuz) in the Iskenderun Bay (North-eastern Mediterranean, Turkey). This specimen was identified as a specimen of Diplodus sargus. Known as Xanthochromism, abnormal skin coloration is an unusually yellow pigmentation in fishes. It is often associated with the lack of usual red pigmentation and its replacement with yellow. The present paper reported the first occurrence of the xanthochromic specimen of Diplodus sargus from Turkey's Mediterranean coast.

Sharks are generally highly exposed to overexploitation and in addition, the increased pollution in the marine environment also negatively impacts them. Therefore, it is important to monitor inorganic contaminants in sharks. This study was conducted to elucidate heavy metal accumulation in the Smooth hound Mustelus mustelus and the Blue shark Prionace glauca by electrochemical technique from the North-Eastern Mediterranean Coast of Turkey. Cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, manganese, nickel and zinc were determined. These results showed that the concentrations of all the trace metals were significantly different both in the liver and muscle tissues of Blue shark and Smooth-hound shark (P < 0.001). Cr and Pb concentrations exceeded the maximum limit legalized by FAO (2003), EU (2005), and UNEP (2008). These results confirmed that the metal contamination in the North-Eastern Mediterranean area may pose a potential threat to the sustainability of Blue shark and Smooth-hound shark in the marine ecosystem.

The Harlequin prawn-goby Cryptocentrus caeruleopunctatus (Ruppell, 1830) was reported for the first time from the South-eastern Mediterranean Sea coast of Turkey. This record is the second record of this alien species in the Mediterranean. C. caeruleopunctatus was observed during an underwater survey conducted in November 2021 on the Cevlik coast, south of the Iskenderun Bay. The new alien gobiid fish was photographed with the shrimp at the entrance of the hole and it was easily identified by two dark large ocelli on the upper side of the trunk and many brown ocelli with light margin on the head and dorsal fins. With this study, it was observed that the population has been formed in the region, indicating that its trend has the potential to spread westward along the northern Levantine Sea. C. caeruleopunctatus is the sixth alien goby recorded from the Mediterranean marine waters of Turkey.

Publisher: Pensoft Publishers; International audience; Truly sustainable development in a human-altered, fragmented marine environment subject to unprecedented climate change, demands informed planning strategies in order to be successful. Beyond a simple understanding of the distribution of marine species, data describing how variations in spatio-temporal dynamics impact ecosystem functioning and the evolution of species are required. Marine Functional Connectivity (MFC) characterizes the flows of matter, genes and energy produced by organism movements and migrations across the seascape. As such, MFC determines the ecological and evolutionary interdependency of populations, and ultimately the fate of species and ecosystems. Gathering effective MFC knowledge can therefore improve predictions of the impacts of environmental change and help to refine management and conservation strategies for the seas and oceans. Gathering these data are challenging however, as access to, and survey of marine ecosystems still presents significant challenge. Over 50 European institutions currently investigate aspects of MFC using complementary methods across multiple research fields, to understand the ecology and evolution of marine species. The aim of SEA-UNICORN, a COST Action within the European Union Horizon 2020 framework programme, is to bring together this research effort, unite the multiple approaches to MFC, and to integrate these under a common conceptual and analytical framework. The consortium brings together a diverse group of scientists to collate existing MFC data, to identify knowledge gaps, to enhance complementarity among disciplines, and to devise common approaches to MFC. SEA-UNICORN will promote co-working between connectivity practitioners and ecosystem modelers to facilitate the incorporation of MFC data into the predictive models used to identify marine conservation priorities. Ultimately, SEA-UNICORN will forge strong forward-working links between scientists, policy-makers and stakeholders to facilitate the integration of MFC knowledge into decision support tools for marine management and environmental policies.

A single specimen of the whiskered sole Monochirus hispidus (Rafinesque, 1814) was caught at a depth of 24 m from Tasucu, Mersin Bay (North-eastern Mediterranean, Turkey) in the winter season on February 2019. The present paper reports the first occurrence and is the confirmation of the whiskered sole M. hispidus from Mersin Bay, Turkey (North-eastern Mediterranean Sea). Since it was recorded only once in the last twenty-six years this species could be considered as exceptionally rare in the easternmost area of the Mediterranean Sea, Turkey.