Abstract
Zoobenthic investigations carried out along the Turkish Levantine coast resulted in identification of nine previously unrecorded alien species: Macrorhynchia philippina (Hydrozoa), Oculina patagonica (Anthozoa), Branchiomma luctuosum (Polychaeta), Aplysia dactylomela (Gastropoda), Synaptula reciprocans (Echinodermata), Phallusia nigra, Pyura (=Herdmania) momus, Symplegma brakenhielmi (Tunicata) and Parupeneus forsskali (Osteichthyes). Except for the shipping-transported O. patagonica, which originated in the Atlantic Ocean, the species are recognized as Erythrean aliens that entered the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal. Some ecological and distributional details are briefly discussed.
Highlights
According to a recently prepared inventory of alien species along the Turkish coasts (Çinar et al 2006), 202, of a total of 263 alien species identified, were reported solely from the Levantine coast of Turkey
Due to the hydrographic features of the Levantine Sea, the southeastern coast of Turkey is more accessible to alien species that entered the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal
In the Levantine Sea, it has been previously recorded from Egypt, Israel and Lebanon (Bitar and Zibrowius 1997)
Summary
According to a recently prepared inventory of alien species along the Turkish coasts (Çinar et al 2006), 202, of a total of 263 alien species identified, were reported solely from the Levantine coast of Turkey. Due to the hydrographic features of the Levantine Sea, the southeastern coast of Turkey is more accessible to alien species that entered the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal. In the course of the project, nine alien species, previously unknown from the Turkish coast, were photographed and identified
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