Search

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.

Priacanthus sagittarius Starnes, 1988'in bir örneği Şubat 2021'de İskenderun Körfezi'nde (Konacık, Türkiye), 80 m derinlikten yakalanmıştır. Araştırmamız, Türkiye sularından balığın ikinci ve Türkiye'nin Güneydoğu Akdeniz kıyılarından da ilk kaydını ortaya koymaktadır. Aynı zamanda yaptığımız kayıt türün Akdeniz deniz sularından beşinci kaydını oluşturmaktadır. P. sagittarus Türkiye'nin Akdeniz kıyısındaki varlığı, bu balığın da Süveyş Kanalı yoluyla Kızıldeniz'den Akdeniz'e geçtiğinin işaretleridir. Diğer yandan mevcut kayıtlar, bu türün Akdeniz’de dağılımını giderek genişlettiğini göstermektedir., A single specimen of Priacanthus sagittarius Starnes, 1988 has been captured in the Iskenderun Bay (Konacık, Turkey), at a depth of 80 m in February 2021. This species represents the second record from Turkish waters and the first record from southeastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Besides, this species is the fifth successive record from the. The presence of P. sagittarius in the Mediterranean coast of Turkey is evidently due to migration from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal. On the other hand, available records show that this species is gradually expanding its distribution in the Mediterranean.

This study aims to determine the chemical and physical composition and antibacterial activity of glasswort. Soxhlet extraction of Salicornia europaea was performed using Hexane and analyzed by Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Alpha-tocopherol content was analysed by using Liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The elemental analysis was investigated by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The crystallographic texture and composition of powder samples were determined by X-ray diffraction. The Minimum Inhibition Concentrations and inhibition zones extracts of Salicornia europaea were performed by spectrophotometric broth microdilution and disc diffusion methods, respectively, against 4 bacteria (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus) and 2 fungi (Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis). Alpha-tocopherol quantity and oil content of Salicornia europaea were found to be 2.1 +/- 0.3mg/100 g and 15.15 %, respectively. The detected minerals were also found as Sodium 447, Magnesium 51.98, K 45.86, Ca 14.27 ppm. The highest minimum inhibition concentration was 0.9 mg/ml against Escherichia coli in methanol extract (p.0.05). The highest mean inhibition zones diameter was 3.8 mm for methanol extracts against Bacillus subtilis (p.0.05). As a result, the extract and oil of Salicornia europaea can be used as potential bioactive and antimicrobial agents for pharmaceutical and cosmetics applications.

Hydroxyapatite and associated calcium phosphate ceramic materials are commonly applied as implant resources because of their close resemblance in structure with natural bone. In the present study, the elemental composition and potential usage of pufferfish teeth were examined as natural bioceramic for dental applications. The teeth of pufferfish Lagocephalus sceleratus were removed from the fish, rinsed with deionized water, measured, and kept in the furnace at 105 degrees C. The dehydrated teeth were pulverized with the planetary ball. ICP-MS, TTX, XRD, and nanoindentation test analyzes were made on the obtained hydroxyapatite. In the ICP-MS analysis, the elemental composition of the teeth was 52% calcium, 39% phosphate, %2.5 Mn, %1.5 Mg, %1 Ti, %0.8 V, and %3.2 the others. Ca/P atomic ratio value was 1.32. The present study preliminary revealed that the use of pufferfish teeth can be a natural alternative source for biomedical and other industrial purposes since it has no economic value and is very abundant in the world marine waters. On the other hand, the required tests are mandatory to be accomplished before any human use.

WOS: 000442210300011, 30151043, Science Citation Index Expanded, Unraveling adaptive genetic variation represents, in addition to the estimate of population demographic parameters, a cornerstone for the management of aquatic natural living resources, which, in turn, represent the raw material for breeding programs. The turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) is a marine flatfish of high commercial value living on the European continental shelf. While wild populations are declining, aquaculture is flourishing in southern Europe. We evaluated the genetic structure of turbot throughout its natural distribution range (672 individuals; 20 populations) by analyzing allele frequency data from 755 single nucleotide polymorphism discovered and genotyped by double-digest RAD sequencing. The species was structured into four main regions: Baltic Sea, Atlantic Ocean, Adriatic Sea, and Black Sea, with subtle differentiation apparent at the distribution margins of the Atlantic region. Genetic diversity and effective population size estimates were highest in the Atlantic populations, the area of greatest occurrence, while turbot from other regions showed lower levels, reflecting geographical isolation and reduced abundance. Divergent selection was detected within and between the Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea regions, and also when comparing these two regions with the Black Sea. Evidence of parallel evolution was detected between the two low salinity regions, the Baltic and Black seas. Correlation between genetic and environmental variation indicated that temperature and salinity were probably the main environmental drivers of selection. Mining around the four genomic regions consistently inferred to be under selection identified candidate genes related to osmoregulation, growth, and resistance to diseases. The new insights are useful for the management of turbot fisheries and aquaculture by providing the baseline for evaluating the consequences of turbot releases from restocking and farming., 7th Framework Programme for research (FP7) under "Knowledge-Based Bio-Economy - KBBE", Theme 2: "Food, Agriculture and fisheries, and Biotechnologies" [FP7-KBBE-2012-6-singlestage, 311920]; Spanish Regional Government Xunta de Galicia [GRC2014/010], 7th Framework Programme for research (FP7) under "Knowledge-Based Bio-Economy - KBBE", Theme 2: "Food, Agriculture and fisheries, and Biotechnologies" Project identifier: FP7-KBBE-2012-6-singlestage, Grant/Award Number: 311920; Spanish Regional Government Xunta de Galicia, Grant/Award Number: GRC2014/010

Pinna nobilis is distributed in the northwest area of the Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea. In this study, on 9 September 2020, one specimen of Pinna nobilis, the pen shell, was observed during scuba diving at a depth of 16 m off Samandag coast (36.259444° N, 35.810111° E), the northeastern Mediterranean Sea. In this study, we observed for the first time P. nobilis from the Mediterranean Coast of Turkey, the Samandag coast. In this region, the presence of P. nobilis has never been previously recorded, and this new record confirms the presence of a new location in the Mediterranean Sea., Delici midye Pinna nobilis Akdeniz'in kuzeybatı bölgesinde ve Ege Denizi'nde dağılım göstermektedir. Bu çalışmada, 9 Eylül 2020 tarihinde, kuzeydoğu Akdeniz'deki Samandağ sahilinde (36.259444° K, 35.810111° D) 16 m derinlikte aletli dalış sırasında bir adet Pinna nobilis gözlenmiştir. Bu bölgede P. nobilis'in varlığı daha önce kaydedilmemiştir. Bu yeni kayıt, Kuzeydoğu Akdeniz'de yeni bir konumun varlığını bildirmektedir.

WOS: 000521828400016, Molecular genetics and phenotypic markers were evaluated for detecting phylogeographic difference in the populations of the Black-Sea turbot Scophthalmus maeoticus occurring in the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea. Microsatellites of nuclear DNA and the COIII region of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) were used for the genetic analyses. Morphometrics, meristics, otolith shape and otolith chemistry were applied for the phenotypic analyses. The mean number of alleles was 14.4, using five polymorphic microsatellite loci; the lowest genetic distance (0.19549) was observed between the Marmara (MS) and the West Black Sea (BS2) populations; the highest genetic distance (0.21755) was observed between the Marmara Sea population and East Black Sea (BS1) population. MIDNA analysis revealed an overall genetic diversity of 0.00148. The smallest (0.001416) genetic distance was observed between BS2 and BS1 and the highest (0.001593) was the genetic distance between BSI and MS populations. Discriminant function analysis of morphometric and meristic characters discriminated only BS1 population from the other populations, which overlapped with one another. The otolith shape analysis also supported the morphometric and meristic analyses that the BS1 population was differentiated from the other two populations., Scientific and Technological Research of TurkeyTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [112O920], We are grateful to the Scientific and Technological Research of Turkey for their financial support (Project No. 112O920). The present study is the MSc thesis of S. Karan, in which COI was given instead of COIII by mistake.

The epidermal mucus of two ray species Dasyatis pastinaca and Raja miraletus was analyzed to identify biochemical compounds and explore their antimicrobial activities in order to point out their potential for human health-related applications. Epidermal mucus samples were extracted as acidic, crude and aqueous. Gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analyses were performed to determine the biochemical compounds of the mucus. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of the extracts obtained from mucus were analysed using the spectrophotometric broth microdilution method against bacterial (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacillus subtilis and Enterococcus faecalis) and fungal (Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis) strains. Gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analyses revealed the existence of several hydrocarbon-derived compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In terms of antimicrobial activity, the highest detected MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) value was 9.78 mu L for the acidic extract of R. miraletus epidermal mucus (RmAC) against E. faecalis, while the lowest MIC value was 80.88 mu L for the acidic extract of R. miraletus epidermal mucus (RmAC) against E. coli. The extracts of epidermal mucus from D. pastinaca and R. miraletus showed antimicrobial activities against all the used pathogens with varying degrees of efficiency and thus may be evaluated as a potential source of marine-derived antimicrobial components for biomedical purposes. gazeuse et chromatographie en phase gazeuse-spectrometrie de masse (GC/MS) ont revele l'existence de plusieurs composes derives d'hydrocarbures et d'hydrocarbures aromatiques polycycliques. Pour l'analyse antimicrobienne, la valeur MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) la plus elevee detectee etait de 9,78 mu L pour l'extrait acide de mucus epidermique de R. miraletus (RmAC) contre E. faecalis, tandis que la valeur MIC la plus basse etait de 80,88 mu L pour l'extrait acide de mucus epidermique de R. miraletus (RmAC) contre E. coli. Les extraits de mucus epidermique de D. pastinaca et R. miraletus ont neanmoins montre des activites antimicrobiennes contre tous les agents pathogenes utilises avec divers degres d'efficacite et peuvent donc etre consideres comme une source potentielle de composants antimicrobiens d'origine marine a des fins biomedicales.

This Collective Article includes records of 29 alien and cryptogenic species in the Mediterranean Sea, belonging to eight Phyla (Rhodophyta, Ochrophyta, Cnidaria, Annelida, Mollusca, Arthropoda, Echinodermata, and Chordata) and coming from 11 countries. Notes published here can be divided into three different categories: occupancy estimation for wide areas, new records for the Mediterranean Sea, and new records of species expanding within the Mediterranean Sea. The first category includes a visual survey held along the coastline of Peloponnese (Greece), which yielded records of 15 species. The second category includes the first Mediterranean records of the Coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch (Greece) and of the Arabian monocle bream Scolopsis ghanam (Tunisia). The third category includes new records for countries (Ganonema farinosum in Malta, Cassiopea andromeda in Libya, Cingulina isseli in Greece, Okenia picoensis in Italy, Callinectes sapidus in Slovenia, Charybdis cf. hellerii in Malta, Urocaridella pulchella in Cyprus, Ablennes hians and Aluterus monoceros in Lebanon, and Fistularia petimba in Greece and Lebanon), new records for MSFD areas or regional seas (Septifer cumingii in the Greek Ionian Sea and F. petimba in the Marmara Sea), and confirmation of old, doubtful, or spurious records/statements (Branchiomma luctuosum in Tunisia, Thalamita poissonii in the Saronikos Gulf, and Pterois miles in Albania). Noteworthy, the three new records of F. petimba suggest that it may soon spread further in the Mediterranean Sea, as already happened for its congeneric Fistularia commersonii. Distributional data reported here will help tracing colonization routes of alien species in the basin and may facilitate the development of mitigation measures., peer-reviewed