Anali za istrske in mediteranske študijeAnnali di Studi istriani e mediterranei Annals for Istrian and Mediterranean Studies Series Historia Naturalis, 30, 2020, 1 UDK 5 Annales, Ser. hist. nat., 30, 2020, 1, pp. 1-130, Koper 2020 ISSN1408-533X UDK 5 ISSN 1408-533X e-ISSN 2591-1783 Anali za istrske in mediteranske študije Annali di Studi istriani e mediterranei Annals for Istrian and Mediterranean Studies Series Historia Naturalis, 30, 2020, 1 KOPER 2020 Anali za istrske in mediteranske študije - Annali di Studi istriani e mediterranei - Annals for Istrian and Mediterranean Studies ISSN 1408-533X UDK 5 Letnik 30, leto 2020, številka 1 e-ISSN 2591-1783 Alessandro Acquavita (IT), Nicola Bettoso (IT), Christian Capapé (FR), UREDNIŠKI ODBOR/ Darko Darovec, Dušan Devetak, Jakov Dulčić (HR), Serena Fonda COMITATO DI REDAZIONE/ Umani (IT), Andrej Gogala, Daniel Golani (IL), Danijel Ivajnšič, BOARD OF EDITORS: Mitja Kaligarič, Marcelo Kovačič (HR), Andrej Kranjc, Lovrenc Lipej, Vesna Mačić (ME), Alenka Malej, Patricija Mozetič, Martina Orlando-Bonaca, Michael Stachowitsch (AT), Tom Turk, Al Vrezec Glavni urednik/Redattore capo/ Editor in chief: Darko Darovec Odgovorni urednik naravoslovja/ Redattore responsabile per le scienze naturali/Natural Science Editor: Lovrenc Lipej Urednica/Redattrice/Editor: Martina Orlando-Bonaca Lektor/Supervisione/Language editor: Polona Šergon (sl.), Petra Berlot Kužner (angl.) 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Navodila avtorjem in vse znanstvene revije in članki so brezplačno dostopni na spletni strani https://zdjp.si/en/p/annalesshn/ The submission guidelines and all scientific journals and articles are available free of charge on the website https://zdjp.si/en/p/annalesshn/ Le norme redazionali e tutti le riviste scientifiche e gli articoli sono disponibili gratuitamente sul sito https://zdjp.si/en/p/annalesshn/ Anali za istrske in mediteranske študije - Annali di Studi istriani e mediterranei - Annals for Istrian and Mediterranean Studies UDK 5 Letnik 30, Koper 2020, številka 1 ISSN 1408-53 3X e-ISSN 2591-1783 VSEBINA / INDICE GENERALE / CONTENTS 2020(1) SREDOZEMSKI MORSKI PSI SQUALI MEDITERRANEI MEDITERRANEAN SHARKS Deniz ERGÜDEN, Deniz AYAS & Hakan KABASAKAL Provoked Non-Fatal Attacks to Divers by Sandbar Shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus (Carcharhiniformes: Carcharhinidae), Off Taşucu Coast (NE Mediterranean Sea, Turkey) .... Izzvani napadi sivega morskega psa, Carcharhinus plumbeus (Carcharhiniformes: Carcharhinidae), ob obali Taşucu (SV Sredozemsko morje, Turčija) Jeanne ZAOUALI, Sihem RAFRAFI-NOUIRA, Khadija OUNIFI-BEN AMOR, Mohamed MOURAD BEN AMOR & Christian CAPAPÉ Capture of a Large Great White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias (Lamnidae) from the Tunisian Coast (Central Mediterranean Sea): a Historical and Ichthyological Event ................... Ulov velikega primerka belega morskega volka, Carcharodon carcharias (Lamnidae) ob tunizijski obali (osrednje Sredozemsko morje): zgodovinski in ihtiološki dogodek Mohamed Mourad BEN AMOR, Marouene BDIOUI, Khadija OUNIFI-BEN AMOR & Christian CAPAPÉ Captures of Large Shark Species from the Northeastern Tunisian Coast (Central Mediterranean Sea) ................................. Ulovi velikih morskih psov ob severovzhodni tunizijski obali (osrednje Sredozemsko morje) Fernando LOPEZ-MIRONES, Alessandro DE MADDALENA & Ricardo SAGARMINAGA VAN BUITEN On a Huge Shortfin Mako Shark Isurus oxyrinchus Rafinesque, 1810 (Chondrichthyes: Lamnidae) Observed at Cabrera Grande, Balearic Islands, Spain ....................................... O opazovanju velikega primerka atlantskega maka Isurus oxyrinchus Rafinesque, 1810 (Chondrichthyes: Lamnidae) v bližini otoka Cabrera Grande, Balearsko otočje, Španija 1 9 15 25 Okan AKYOL, Tevfik CEYHAN & Christian CAPAPÉ Capture of a Bigeye Thresher Shark Alopias superciliosus (Alopiidae) in Turkish Waters (Eastern Mediterranean Sea) ............................... Ulov velikooke morske lisice Alopias superciliosus (Alopiidae) v turških vodah (vzhodno Sredozemsko morje) IHTIOLOGIJA ITTIOLOGIA ICHTHYOLOGY Saul CIRIACO, Marco SEGARICH, Carlo FRANZOSINI & Spiros KONSTAS A Record of Rare Spiny Butterfly Ray, Gymnura altavela (Linnaeus, 1758), in the Amvrakikos Gulf (Greece) .......................... Zapis o pojavljanju redkega skata vrste Gymnura altavela (Linnaeus, 1758), v zalivu Amvrakikos (Grčija) Khaled RAHMANI, Fatiha KOUDACHE, Nasr Eddine Riad MOUEDDEN, Lotfi BENSAHLA TALET & Roger FLOWER Spawning Period, Size at First Sexual Maturity and Sex Ratio of the Atlantic Horse Mackerel Trachurus trachurus from Béni-Saf Bay (Western Coast of Algeria, Southwestern Mediterranean Sea) ..................... Obdobje drstenja, spolna zrelost in spolni delež šnjurov Trachurus trachurus iz zaliva Béni-Saf bay (zahodna obala Alžirije, jugozahodno Sredozemsko morje) Inci TÜNEY-KIZILKAYA, Okan AKYOL & Aytaç ÖZGÜL On the Occurrence of Pseudocaranx dentex (Carangidae) in the Turkish Aegean Sea (Eastern Mediterranean Sea) ................................. O pojavljanju trnoboka Pseudocaranx dentex (Carangidae) v turškem Egejskem morju (vzhodno Sredozemsko morje) 31 39 43 53 JADRANSKA MORSKA FLORA FLORA MARINA ADRIATICA ADRIATIC MARINE FLORA Claudio BATTELLI & Neža GREGORIČ First Report of an Aegagropilous Form of Rytiphlaea tinctoria from the Lagoon of Strunjan (Gulf of Trieste, Northern Adriatic) .......... 61 Prvi zapis o pojavljanju vrste Rytiphlaea tinctoria v kroglični obliki v Strunjanski laguni (Tržaški zaliv, severni Jadran) Sandra BRAČUN, Maximilian WAGNER, Kristina M. SEFC & Stephan KOBLMÜLLER Seasonal Growth Patterns of Cymodocea nodosa and Diversity of its Epibiota in the Northern Adriatic Sea) ......................................... 69 Sezonska rast kolenčaste cimodoceje (Cymodocea nodosa) in pestrost njenih epibiontov v severnem Jadranu BIOINVAZIJA BIOINVASIONE BIOINVASION Ahmet ÖKTENER & Sezginer TUNCER Occurrence of Gnathia Larvae (Crustacea, Isopoda, Gnathiidae) in Three Lessepsian Fish Species in the Southern Turkish Coast of the Aegean Sea ........................... 87 Pojavljanje ličink vrste iz rodu Gnathia (Crustacea, Isopoda, Gnathiidae) pri treh lesepskih selivkah v južnih turških vodah Egejskega morja Raouia GHANEM & Jamila BEN SOUISSI Additional Record of the Alien Crab Actaeodes tomentosus (Brachyura: Xanthidae: Actaeinae) from Tunisian Marine Waters ............................... 99 Novi zapis o pojavljanju tujerodne rakovice Actaeodes tomentosus (Brachyura: Xanthidae: Actaeinae) iz tunizijskih morskih vod Sami MILI, Rym ENNOURI, Sihem RAFRAFI-NOUIRA & Christian CAPAPÉ Additional Record of Golani Round Herring, Etrumeus golanii (Osteichthyes: Dussumieriidae) from Tunisian Waters with Comments on its Distribution in the Mediterranean Sea .................................... Nov zapis o pojavljanju vrste Etrumeus golanii (Osteichthyes: Dussumieriidae) iz tunizijskih voda s komentarji o njeni razširjenosti v Sredozemskem morju 105 ONESNAŽEVANJE OKOLJA INQUINAMENTO DELL’AMBIENTE ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION Ouassima RIFFI, Jamila FLIOU, Ali AMECHROUQ, Mohammed ELHOURRI, Mostafa EL IDRISSI, Fatimazahra BENADDI & Said CHAKIR Research and Characterization of Determinants Controlling the Accumulation of Certain Metals in the Leaves of Dysphania ambrosioides ............. Raziskava o dejavnikih, ki vplivajo na kopičenje nekaterih kovin v listih vrste Dysphania ambrosioides 113 DELO NAŠIH ZAVODOV IN DRUŠTEV ATTIVITA DEI NOSTRI ISTITUTI E SOCIETA ACTIVITIES BY OUR INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS Valentina TURK Srečanje Znanosti o oceanih (Ocean Science Meeting - OSM) ................................................... 123 OCENE IN POROČILA RECENSIONI E RELAZIONI REVIEWS AND REPORTS Milena MIČIĆ Book review: A Miniature Ocean ......................... 129 Kazalo k slikam na ovitku .................................... Index to images on the cover ............................... 130 130 SREDOZEMSKI MORSKI PSI SQUALI MEDITERRANEI MEDITERRANEAN SHARKS received: 2020-05-22 DOI 10.19233/ASHN.2020.01 PROVOKED NON-FATAL ATTACKS TO DIVERS BY SANDBAR SHARK, CARCHARHINUS PLUMBEUS (CARCHARHINIFORMES: CARCHARHINIDAE), OFF TAŞUCU COAST (NE MEDITERRANEAN SEA, TURKEY) Deniz ERGÜDEN Iskenderun Technical University, Marine Sciences and Technology Faculty, Marine Sciences Department, Iskenderun, Hatay, Turkey Deniz AYAS 2Faculty of Fisheries, Mersin University Yenişehir Campus, 33160, Mersin, Turkey Hakan KABASAKAL Ichthyological Research Society, Tantavi mahallesi, Menteşoglu caddesi, Idil ap., No:30, D: 4, 34764 Ümraniye, Istanbul, Turkey e-mail: kabasakal.hakan@gmail.com ABSTRACT On 26 August 2019, two commercial divers, who were diving for the routine check and cleaning of the separate aquaculture net cages, were attacked by several sandbar sharks, Carcharhinus plumbeus. Seven to 8 specimens of sharks attacked the divers, while they were cleaning the entangled dead farmed fishes from outside of the cages. Although, the sea bottom depth, where the aquaculture cages are anchored, is from 47 to 68 m, the incidents happened in midwater around 20 m deep. The present incidents were apparently provoked by the presence of excess amount of wounded and/or dead farmed fish, which caused a certain feeding frenzy of a shark species, normally considered not to be particularly dangerous. Key words: Sandbar shark, Carcharhinidae, aquaculture, provoked attack, conservation, feeding frenzy ATTACCHI NON FATALI PROVOCATI A SUBACQUEI DALLO SQUALO GRIGIO, CARCHARHINUS PLUMBEUS (CARCHARHINIFORMES: CARCHARHINIDAE), AL LARGO DELLA COSTA DI TAŞUCU (MEDITERRANEO NORD-ORIENTALE, TURCHIA) SINTESI Il 26 agosto 2019, due subacquei che si stavano immergendo per un controllo di routine e la pulizia delle gabbie di una rete di acquacoltura, sono stati attaccati da diversi squali grigi, Carcharhinus plumbeus. Circa sette-otto esemplari hanno attaccato i subacquei, mentre stavano pulendo i pesci morti impigliati, dall’esterno delle gabbie d’allevamento. Sebbene il fondo del mare dove sono ancorate le gabbie di acquacoltura si trovi a 47-68 m di profondita, gli incidenti si sono verificati a 20 m di profondita circa. Questi incidenti sono stati apparentemente provocati dalla presenza di quantita eccessive di pesci d’allevamento feriti e/o morti, che hanno causato una certa frenesia alimentare ad una specie di squalo normalmente considerata non particolarmente pericolosa. Parole chiave: squalo grigio, Carcharhinidae, acquacoltura, attacco provocato, conservazione, frenesia alimentare 1 INTRODUCTION Sharks as a group are considered to be highly successful predatory fishes, and are generally asyn­chronous opportunistic feeders on the most abundant prey item, which are primarily other fishes (Motta & Wilga, 2001). The presence of blood in the water, as from an injured organism in the sea, has long been regarded as a strong motivator for shark attack (Ran­dall, 1986). Moreover, abundance of prey, blood, and irregular movements like those of a struggling fish, creating assorted and numerous stimuli in the water, can trigger a type of behavior known as a “feeding frenzy” (Springer & Gold, 1989). Although, aquaculture offers great potential provi­ding sustainable sources of food fish, interaction and compatibility of aquaculture with the environment, and vice versa, is one of the main debated issue (Massa et al., 2017). Aggregation of wild fish nearby offshore aquaculture cages and the possibility of modifying the spatial and temporal extent of the aggregated fish is still a poorly understood phenomenon (Bacher et al., 2012; Özgül & Angel, 2013). Aquaculture farms can attract predatory fish, like sharks, due to the presence of easy food opportunities in form of unconsumed feed and farmed fish (Papastimatiou et al., 2010; Callier et al., 2018). In the present article, authors report on two inci­dents of provoked non-fatal shark attacks, occurred on 26 August 2019, nearby an aquaculture cage, off Taşucu coast (northeastern Mediterranean Sea, Turkey). MATERIAL AND METHODS Since every opportunity to examine a dead wild animal has some potential research value, the selec­tion of an appropriate sample for the present study was an instance of typical opportunistic research, consisting in dead animal sampling (Jessup, 2003). On 26 August 2019, during a site survey in the vi­cinity of an aquaculture cage farm off Taşucu Dana Island coast (Fig. 1), the second author of the present article has interviewed with the employees of the fish farm and gathered information about the incident of a shark attack to two divers. The locality of the aquaculture cages is nearly 4 km off the coast and no human settlement is present in the vicinity of the farm area. Moreover, entering or trepassing the farm area is prohibited and subjected to permission. The mentioned information included some photographs of the shark on board of the support vessel and of close up photos of the lacerated diving gears (Figs. 2, 3 & 4), and a video footage with an approximately 3 minutes. The photograph seen in figure 2, which is Fig. 2. One of the sandbar sharks, C. plumbeus, which attacked the diver under stimulated foraging conditions (Photo: Ibrahim Yörüsün). Sl. 2: Eden izmed sivih morskih psov, C. plumbeus, ki je vzdražen zaradi prisotnosti hrane napadel potapljača (Foto: Ibrahim Yörüsün). depicting the shark from a very clear side view, was used to confirm the identification of the species of the shark, following the descriptive criteria proposed by Serena (2005) and Ebert & Stehmann (2013). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The shark species depicted in Figure 2 was identifi­ed as Carcharhinus plumbeus (Nardo, 1827). Although, not clearly seen on the photograph, an interdorsal ridge is present. First dorsal fin origin is over pectoral fin base, and first dorsal fin is extremely tall and semi-falcate (Fig. 2). Total length of the examined sandbar shark was 2.3 m. On 26 August 2019, two commercial divers, who were diving for the routine check and cleaning of the net cages, were attacked by several sharks. The net cages are used for the farming of European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax (Linnaeus, 1758). Numerous dead farmed fish were seen while they were floating in midwater or sank on the bottom of the cages. The following reconstruction of the two separate shark attacks is based on the individual testimonies of the divers 1 and 2, and the detailed examination of the video footage. The first diver dived into cage at a depth of 68 m; however, diver 1 stopped descending around 20 m deep, and started cleaning and routi­ne maintenance work. While he was performing a routine maintenance dive, he suddenly felt a bump from below and a shark has bitten his diving boots and fins (Fig. 3). Diver 1 emphasized that he didn’t see the shark was approaching him. The second diver has also descended to nearly 20 m deep in the vicinity of another cage, where depth of the bottom is 47 m. Diver 2 has also started his daily routine clearance and maintenance dive, outside the cage. Since the sharks were already in a frenzied status, a group of sandbar sharks approached him, started Tab. 1: Shark attack incidents caused by the sandbar shark and logged in Global Shark Attack File (GSAF). All of the localities are along northwestern Atlantic coast. Tab. 1: Primeri napadov sivega morskega psa iz globalne podatkovne baze o napadih morskih psov (GSAF). Vse lokalitete so vzdolž severozahodne atlantske obale. GSAF log No Date Provoked Unprovoked Locality Remarks (TL) 2601 22/6/1966 • New Jersey 2.1 m female 2654 Aug 1967 • Bahamas 1.5 to 1.8 m 3133 25/3/1981 • Florida 1.2 to 1.5 m 3501 09/9/1989 • North Carolina Not available 4324 26/7/2002 • South Carolina 1.2 m 4606 21/8/2005 • South Carolina Not available 5233 10/5/2011 • Florida ca. 2.5 m 5608 09/7/2014 • Delaware 1.2 to 1.5 m circling around the diver 2 and suddenly one of the frenzied sharks attacked his fins from below (Fig. 4). Interview with the divers, as well as the detailed examination of the video footage was revealed that 7 to 8 specimens of sharks attacked the divers. Both attacks have resulted in deep lacerations on the dive gears (Figs. 3 & 4), and except of non severe injuries, no fatalities occurred. Divers 1 and 2 have ascended the surface as soon as possible, meanwhile they were trying to fend off the frenzied sharks with a spear gun. They were hauled out of the water with the aid of support vessel’s crew; however, frenzied sharks continued to prey on dead or alive fishes for nearly one hour more. The Sandbar shark, C. plumbeus, is one of the well-documented representatives of the Mediterra­nean carcharhinids (Serena, 2005; Saidi et al., 2005, 2007). Reproductive biology, and food and feeding habits of C. plumbeus were extensively investigated, based on the specimens captured in Gulf of Gabes (southern Tunisia, central Mediterranean; Saidi et al., 2005, 2007). It is a coastal-pelagic shark on continental and insular shelves and in deep water to maximum depth of 280 m (Serena, 2005). Its contemporary occurrence in Turkish Aeagean and Mediterranean coasts is also well-documented (see Kabasakal, 2019, for relevant references), and sandbar sharks are known regularly aggregated in Boncuk Cove, one of the best known nursery areas of C. plumbeus in the Mediterranean, between March and November (Filiz, 2018). During a two-year un­derwater video census survey, Filiz (2018) counted 275 mature sandbar sharks in Boncuk Cove, and no aggressive encounters with the sandbar sharks ever happened. Although, Boncuk Cove is a marine protected area and no human activities is allowed, many tourism and fishing activities in the vicinity of the cove area are present; however, no attack to humans by sandbar sharks were recorded outside the cove region (H. Kabasakal, pers. obs.). The occurrence of predatory sharks in the vicinity of marine aquaculture cages is well-documented in the Mediterranean Sea. Galaz and De Maddalena (2004) reported on a female white shark, Carcharodon car-charias (Linnaeus, 1758), with an estimated length of 5 m, tore the net of a 50 m diameter tuna cage, off Libya coast. Same authors also reported on blue sharks, Prionace glauca (Linnaeus, 1758), and shortfin mako sharks, Isurus oxyrinchus Rafinesque, 1810, trapped in tuna cages off Italian and Spanish coasts, respectively. Kabasakal (2014) reported on a white shark, which was attempting to tear the net of tuna cage, observed during the routine check of the condition of tunas by a diver. Although the shark has circled around the diver for a few times, fortunately, no attack occurred. Kabasakal & Gedikoglu (2015) reported on a blue shark (>2 m total length), which was observed near aquaculture cages in Güllük Bay (southeastern Aegean Sea). In an extensive research on the site fidelity and movements of sharks associated with ocean-farming cages in Ha­waii, Papastamatiou et al. (2010) observed that ocean fish cages appear to aggregate sandbar sharks. In the eastern Mediterranean, off Israeli coast, sandbar shark aggregations were also observed near power plants, where there is a continuous warm water outflow (Ba-rash et al., 2018). C. plumbeus is a relatively large shark species armed with large, triangular teeth; however, this spe­cies has never been indicated to attack people, and is thought to be not particularly dangerous because of its strong preference for live fish (Compagno, 1984). Compagno (1984) summarized the aggressiveness of shark species in following three categories: (1) sharks that have attacked people or boats; (2) sharks suspec­ted of attacking people; and (3) additional species of potential harmfulness, the last one which includes C. plumbeus, as well. Despite the Compagno’s (1984) and Ebert & Stehmann’s (2013) assessment that the sandbar shark is not particularly dangerous and has never been implicated on attacks to people, Caldicott et al. (2001) claimed that any shark that can grow larger than 1.8 to 2.0 m is potentially lethal to man. Ehrahardt et al. (1972) reported that sharks less than 2 m total lenght could be dangerous for humans. Their small size allow them to easily enter at lower depth in lagoons and attacks on divers or fishermen were recorded from French Polynesia. Fouques et al. (1972) reported an attack by a specimen of whitecheek shark Carchar­hinus dussumieri (Müller & Henle, 1839), having 1.5 m total length. From this point of view, C. plumbeus can attain a maximum size of 3 m and common to 2.4 m TL (Serena, 2005; Ebert & Stehmann, 2013), thus, san­dbar shark have enough potential to attack human, if provoked. From information collected from divers and fishermen Capapé et al. (1975) noted that the species could be considered as dangerous in Tunisian waters, as other carcharhinid species. Suspected shark of eight incidents listed in Global Shark Attack File (GSAF) is C. plumbeus (GSAF, 2020), of which the details are presented in table 1. Up to May 2020, 6523 shark attacks are logged in GSAF records. In conclusion, the present incidents were appa­rently provoked by the presence of excess amount of wounded and/or dead farmed fish, which caused a certain feeding frenzy of a shark species, normally not thought to be particularly dangerous. Fortunately, these provoked shark attacks have not ended with a fatality; however, these incidents set forth the possi­bility of unexpected shifts in the behavior of a wild fish under stimulated conditions. A significant lesson learned from these incidents is that, as a precautio­nary measurement, aquaculture divers have been carrying out all diving operations related with routine clearance and maintenance of the fish farm, inside the cage, and no attack has been occurred since the date of the present incidents. C. plumbeus is a pro­tected shark species in Turkish seas, and intentional or incidental captures, as well as landing of captured specimens, are strictly prohibited and any violations of the law, such as deliberately capturing and landing of a sandbar shark, would be imposed a cash fine. Aquaculture operations may have a potential to pro­vide a significant and easy access source of additional forage to sharks. Since the ecological implications of the offshore or coastal cage farming are more com­plex to assess, future studies should be performed to determine the potential impacts of the cage farming on the foraging ecology of sandbar sharks, and other large predatory fish species with coastal occurrence in Turkish waters, as well. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors wish to thank to employees of the fish farm for generously sharing the information and images, and two anonymous referees for their valuable comments, which improved the content of the article. IZZVANI NAPADI SIVEGA MORSKEGA PSA, CARCHARHINUS PLUMBEUS (CARCHARHINIFORMES: CARCHARHINIDAE), OB OBALI TAŞUCU (SV SREDOZEMSKO MORJE, TURČIJA) Deniz ERGÜDEN Iskenderun Technical University, Marine Sciences and Technology Faculty, Marine Sciences Department, Iskenderun, Hatay, Turkey Deniz AYAS 2Faculty of Fisheries, Mersin University Yenişehir Campus, 33160, Mersin, Turkey Hakan KABASAKAL Ichthyological Research Society, Tantavi mahallesi, Menteşoglu caddesi, Idil ap., No:30, D: 4, 34764 Ümraniye, Istanbul, Turkey e-mail: kabasakal.hakan@gmail.com POVZETEK Šestindvajsetega avgusta 2019 je več sivih morskih psov (Carcharhinus plumbeus) napadlo dva profesional­na potapljača na rutinskem potopu pri pregledovanju in čiščenju ribjih kletk. Sedem do osem morskih psov je sodelovalo v napadu na potapljača, ko sta odstranjevala v mrežo zapletene mrtve primerke rib na zunanji strani mreže. Globina, na kateri so ribje kletke zasidrane, je med 47 in 68 m, napad pa se je zgodil plitveje na globini okoli 20 m. Napade morskih psov je očitno sprožil prebitek ranjenih ali mrtvih gojenih rib in izzval skupinsko prehranjevalno razburjenost pri morskih psih, čeprav to vrsto ne smatrajo za agresivno. Ključne besede: sivi morski pes, Carcharhinidae, akvakultura, izzvan napad, ohranjanje, prehranjevalna razburjenost REFERENCES Bacher, K., A. Gordoa & O. Sagué (2012): Spatial and temporal extension of wild fish aggregations at Sparus aurata and Thunnus thynnus farms in the north-western Mediterranean. Aquacult. Environ. Inte­ract., 2, 239-252. Barash, A., R. Pickholtz, E. Pickholtz, L. Blaustein & G. Rilov (2018): Seasonal aggregations of sharks near coastal power plants in Israel: an emerging phe­nomenon. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 590, 145-154. Caldicott, G.E., R. Mahajani & M. Kuhn (2001): The anatomy of a shark attack: a case report and review of the literature. Injury, Int. J. 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Monteil (1972): Les squales dangereux en milieu corallien, consigens de sécurité en cours de plongées, les moyens de défense contre les requins, conduite a tenir en cas de morsure. Rev. Intern. Océanogr. Méd., 56, 99-119. Filiz, H. (2018): Year-round aggregation of sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus (Nardo, 1827), in Bon­cuk Cove in the southern Aegean Sea, Turkey (Carchar­hiniformes: Carcharhinidae). Zool. Middle East, http:// dx.doi.org/10.1080/09397140.2018.1540148. Fouques, M., J. Lagraulet, J. Tapu & R. Vinai (1972). Traumatismes et blessures par les poissons en Polynésie française. Nouv. Press. Médic., 1, 3715-3719. Galaz, T. & A. De Maddalena (2004): On a great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758), trapped in a tuna cage off Libya, Mediterranean Sea. Annales, Series Historia Naturalis, 14, 159-164. GSAF (2020): Global Shark Attack File. http://www. sharkattackfile.net/incidentlog.htm (last accessed: 16 May 2020). Jessup, D.A. (2003): Opportunistic research and sampling combined with fish and wildlife management actions or crisis response. ILAR Journal, 44, 277-285. Kabasakal, H. (2014): The status of the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) in Turkey’s waters. Mar. Biodivers. Rec., 7, doi:10.1017/S1755267214000980. Kabasakal, H. (2019): A review of shark research in Turkish waters. Annales, Series Historia Naturalis, 29, 1-16. Kabasakal, H. & S.Ö. Gedikoglu (2015): Shark atta­cks against humans and boats in Turkey’s waters in the twentieth century. Annales, Series Historia Naturalis, 25, 115-122. Massa, F., L. Onofri & D. Fezzardi (2017): Aqua­culture in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea: A blue growth perspective. In: P. A. L. D. Nunes, L. E. Svenson & A. Markandya (eds.): Handbook on the Economic and Management of Sustainable Oceans. Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 93-123. Motta, P.J. & C.D. Wilga (2001): Advances in the study of feeding behaviors, mechanisms, and mechani­cs of sharks. Environ. Biol. Fishes, 60, 131-156. Özgül, A. & D. Angel (2013): Wild fish aggregations around fish farms in the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea: imp­lications for fisheries management and conservation. Aquacult. Environ. Interact., 4, 135-145. Papastamatiou, Y.P., D.G. Itano, J.J. Dale, C.G. Meyer & K.N. Holland (2010): Site fidelity and move­ments of sharks associated with ocean farming cages in Hawaii. Mar. Freshwater Res., 61, 1366-1375. Randall, J.E. (1986): Sharks of Arabia. IMMEL Pub­lishing, London, 148 pp. Saidi, B., M.N. Bradai, A. Bouain, O. Guélorget & C. Capapé (2005): The reproductive biology of the sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus (Chondrichthyes: Carc­harhinidae), from the Gulf of Gabes (southern Tunisia, central Mediterranean). Acta Adriat., 46, 47-62. Saidi, B., M.N. Bradai, A. Bouain & C. Capapé (2007): Feeding habits of the sandbar shark Carchar­hinus plumbeus (Chondrichthyes: Carcharhinidae) from the Gulf of Gabes, Tunisia. Cah. Biol. Mar., 48, 139-144. Serena F. (2005): Field identification guide to the sharks and rays of the Mediterranean and Black Seas. FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. Rome: FAO, 97 pp. Springer, V.G. & J.P. Gold (1989): Sharks in qu­estion: the Smithsonian answer book. Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., 187 pp. received: 2020-01-27 DOI 10.19233/ASHN.2020.02 CAPTURE OF A LARGE GREAT WHITE SHARK, CARCHARODON CARCHARIAS (LAMNIDAE) FROM THE TUNISIAN COAST (CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN SEA): A HISTORICAL AND ICHTHYOLOGICAL EVENT Jeanne ZAOUALI & Sihem RAFRAFI-NOUIRA Unité de Recherches Exploitation des Milieux aquatiques, Institut Supérieur de Peche et d’Aquaculture de Bizerte, Université de Carthage, BP 15, 7080 Menzel Jemil, Tunisia Khadija OUNIFI-BEN AMOR & Mohamed MOURAD BEN AMOR Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer, port de peche, 2025 La Goulette, Tunisia Christian CAPAPÉ Laboratoire d’Ichtyologie, Université de Montpellier, case 104, 34095 Montpellier cedex 5, France e-mail: capape@univ-montp2.fr ABSTRACT In this paper, the authors report an old capture of the great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, the first in the Gulf of Hammamet, central Tunisia. The specimen probably reached 6 metres in total length and weighed ap­proximately two tons. Additionally, some comments about the distribution of the species in the area and throughout the Mediterranean are provided, emphasizing the presence of nursery grounds in this sea. Key words: Great white shark, size and total body weight, Gulf of Hammamet, mattanza, Thunnus thynus, nursery grounds CATTURA DEL GRANDE SQUALO BIANCO, CARCHARODON CARCHARIAS (LAMNIDAE), LUNGO LA COSTA DELLA TUNISIA (MEDITERRANEO CENTRALE): EVENTO STORICO E ITTIOLOGICO SINTESI Gli autori riportano una vecchia cattura del grande squalo bianco, Carcharodon carcharias, la prima nel Golfo di Hammamet, nella Tunisia centrale. L’esemplare probabilmente aveva raggiunto i 6 metri di lunghezza totale e circa due tonnellate di peso. Nell’articolo vengono inoltre forniti alcuni commenti sulla distribuzione delle specie nell’area in questione ed in tutto il Mediterraneo, sottolineando la presenza di zone di nursery nel bacino. Parole chiave: grande squalo bianco, dimensioni e peso corporeo totale, Golfo di Hammamet, mattanza, Thunnus thynus, zone di nursery 9 INTRODUCTION Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758) is a large shark with worldwide distribution, especially in temperate waters, and its occurrence is well docu­mented throughout the Mediterranean Sea following De Maddalena & Heim (2012). Most of these records occurred in the central Mediterranean, especially in the Strait of Sicily, where several juvenile and adult specimens were recorded (Quéro, 1984; Fergusson 1996, 2002; Saidi et al., 2005; Maliet et al., 2013; Kabasakal, 2014). Off the Tunisian coast, C. carcha­rias is as well-known as other large and dangerous elasmobranch species (Capapé et al., 1975). Bradai & Saidi (2013) noted that 59 reliable captures of C. carcharias were reported in the region between 1953 and 2012, the majority (56%) occurring in the Gulf of Gabes. Additionally, basic data collected through historical literature, previous published documents, interviews with fishermen, and personal observa­tions suggested other occurrences of C. carcharias in Tunisian marine waters. Among them, a large speci­men captured several decades ago and landed at the fishing site of Monastir (Fig. 1), which we are going to present. MATERIAL AND METHODS The capture reported is that of a large female specimen of C. carcharias that occurred at the end of June 1975 in a mattanza set up in the waters sur­rounding the Kuriates Islands, located in the Gulf of Hammamet, central Tunisia (Fig. 1). A mattanza is an ancient traditional fishing technique used to catch thunnid species by trapping, mainly Atlantic bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus (Linnaeus, 1758), when they are crossing the Mediterranean between February and July (Farrugio & Barbaroux, 2005). This kind of tuna fishing site is called a tonnara and is mainly targeted by large sharks, which can easily find avail­able preys (Storai et al., 2011). Furtherly, the specimen of C. carcharias was cut into slices and rapidly sold by fishermen, its flesh being greatly appreciated in the local traditional cuisine. According to fishermen, the estimated total weight of these slices reached 2 tons. Only the jaws were removed and preserved (Fig. 2), and finally pur­chased for the personal collection of Mr Mohamed Zaouali, formerly Head of the Office National des Peches of Tunisia, and late husband of JZ, one of the present co-authors. Fig. 1: Map of the central Mediterranean Sea, showing the capture site of the specimen of Carcharodon carcha­rias off the central Tunisian coast (black star). GT: Gulf of Tunis. GH: Gulf of Hammamet. GG: Gulf of Gabes. Sl. 1: Zemljevid osrednjega Sredozemskega morja z označeno lokaliteto, kjer je bil ujet primerek vrste Carcharodon carcharias ob osrednji tunizijski obali (črna zvezdica). GT: Tuniški zaliv. GH: Hammameški zaliv. GG: Gabeški zaliv. Fig. 2: Jaws of the specimen of Carcharodon carcharias captured in the waters surrounding Kuriates Islands, central Tunisia, scale bar = 1000 mm (Photo: Hédi Zaouali). Sl. 2: Žrelo belega morskega volka, ujetega v vodah okoli Kuriatskih otokov (osrednja Tunizija), merilo = 1000 mm (Foto: Hédi Zaouali). Fig. 3: Specimen of Carcharodon carcharias landed at the fishing site of Monastir, observed by His Excellency, Habib Bourguiba, President of the Tunisian Republic, surrounded by members of his Government and other pe­ople. Habib Bourguiba was a lawyer and a nationalist leader who played a major role in leading his country to independence, earning the title of Supreme Combatant (Chadli, 2013). He governed Tunisia for three decades and, considering education as the highest priority, promoted the foundation and development of universities and specialized institutes (Belkhodja, 1999). The presence of President Habib Bourguiba at the landing site of Monastir is evidence of his genuine interest for all that concerned fisheries and science, which is clearly visible from the photo. The white arrow indicates an Atlantic bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus, which was captured together with the great white shark (Photo: Mohamed Zaouali). Sl. 3: Primerek vrste Carcharodon carcharias si na ribji tržnici v Monastirju ogleduje Njegova Ekscelenca, Habib Bourguiba, predsednik Tunizijske Republike, obkrožen s člani njegove vlade in drugimi ljudmi. Habib Bourguiba je bil pravnik in vodja nacionalistov, ki je odigral ključno vlogo pri neodvisnosti Tunizije, zaradi česar so mu podelili naslov vrhovnega poveljnika (Chadli, 2013). Tunizijo je vodil tri desetletja, pri čemer je zagovarjal edukacijo kot glavno prioriteto ter promoviral ustanovitev in razvoj univerz in specializiranih inštitutov (Belkhodja, 1999). Njegova prisotnost v Monastirju kaže na njegovo zanimanje za ribištvo in znanost, kar potrjuje tudi fotografija. Z belo puščico je označen tun Thunnus thynnus, ki je bil ujet hkrati z morskim volkom (Foto: Mohamed Zaouali). The total length (TL) of the specimen was provided by the fishermen, however, to confirm this size, we have taken into consideration some methods recom­mended by Randall (1973) and Mollet et al. (1996). To estimate the size of a white shark, the latter authors used the relationships between the enamel height of the largest tooth in the upper jaw (UAE1) and the dried upper jaw perimeter (DUJP) versus total length; such relationships are detailed in Mollet et al. (1996, Tab. 1). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The great white shark specimen was landed at the fishing port of Monastir together with T. thyn-nus in July 1975 (Fig. 3). It was a huge female measuring slightly under 6 m in total length, with the estimated total weight of the slices reaching 2 tons approximately following the accounts of fisher­men who discovered some T. thynnus in its stomach contents. This was the first capture of C. carcharias in the Gulf of Hammamet and is probably the only capture known to date in this area. The height of the largest tooth of the upper jaw (UA1E2) was 60 mm, the DUJP 1200 mm. These measurements allow us to estimate the size of the Tunisian great white shark between 4.5 and 6 m total length following Mollet et al. (1996). The records of largest C. carcharias captured to date concern two specimens, both reaching 7 m in total length. One specimen was caught by gill-net near Kangaroo Island, South Australia (Jury, 1987; Cappo, 1988) and designated as KANGA by Mol-let et al. (1996), the other was caught by steel line baited by tuna and swordfish (Abela, 1989) in waters surrounding Malta Islands and designated as MALTA by Mollet et al. (1996). The DUJP in KANGA and MALTA were 1.250 m and 1.120 m, respectively, the UA1E2 51.6 mm and 46.9 mm, respectively (Mollet et al., 1996). The total length was assessed between 5.1 and 7.3 m for MANGA, and between 4.5 and 6.4 m for MALTA (Mollet et al., 1996). Following these results a total length of 6 m reported for the present Tunisian specimen remains a plausible hypothesis. The TL reported for MALTA suggested that its total body weight could be estimated between 2.4 and 3.6 tons. A great white shark captured in the Gulf of Gabes measured 5.87 TL and probably weighed more than 2 tons (Saidi et al., 2005). The estimated weight of the present C. carcharias – 2 tons – seems valid. Therefore, this specimen probably constitutes the largest great white shark known to date in Tu­nisian waters and one of the largest caught in the Mediterranean Sea. Comparatively, the largest Italian specimen of C. carcharias known to date, was esti­mated to reach a total length of 6.02 m, according to De Maddalena (1999). Following Boldrocchi et al. (2017), C. carcharias ex­hibits a large range of prey species in stomach contents, indicating that it is a rather opportunistic feeder with a preference for scombrid and among them Thunna spp. This pattern explains why captures of great white shark generally occur close to both traditional and modern tuna fisheries (Boldrocchi et al., 2017). However, it ap­pears that the collapse of tuna fisheries enhanced the decline of these captures in some Mediterranean areas, such as Catalonian waters (Barrull & Mate, 2001), eastern Adriatic Sea (Soldo & Jardas, 2002) and both Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus Strait (Kabasakal, 2016). Conversely, some authors have noted a possible relationship between C. carcharias and tuna farming (Boldrocchi et al., 2017). The last mattanza site located off Sidi Daoud, north-eastern Tunisia, was closed in 2005 (Rhomdane et al., 2014), and since then captures of white sharks were only reported locally (Bradai & Saidi, 2015). Some authors have noted a possible interrelationship between tuna and C. carcharias, due to the importance of thunnid species in the shark’s diet (Boldrocchi, 2017). A drastic decline of captures of C. carcharias in Tunisian waters remains uncertain and cannot be totally ruled out. However, based on the captures of pregnant females carrying developing embryos, young-of-the-year born in the wild and adults of both sexes, Fergusson (1996), Saidi et al. (2005) and Bradai & Saidi (2013) suggested the presence of a nursery grounds for C. carcharias in the central Mediterranean Sea, even though further records are needed to confirm this opinion. Recent studies, such as Kabasakal (2014), Kabasakal & Gedikoglu (2008), Kabasakal et al. (2018) indicated that C. carcharias currently occurs in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and in the Aegean Sea, as well as records of new-born and juvenile specimens. Similarly, a nursery ground for C. carcharias in north­eastern Aegean Sea remains a valid hypothesis. Recruitment of C. carcharias in the Mediterranean Sea cannot be totally ruled out even if significant re­cords are needed to confirm it. Intrusion of C. car-charias and other large elasmobranch species through the Suez Canal and the Strait of Gibraltar remains questionable (Capapé, 1989). Boldrocchi et al. (2017) noted that between 476 and 2015, 628 reliable records of C. carcharias were reported in the Mediterranean Sea, and informed us (Boldrocchi, 2020, in letteris) that no further record occurred in this region since 2015. Two records of C. carcharias reported by Rafrafi et al. (2015, 2019) from the north-eastern Tunisian coast are probably the last known to date in this sea. ULOV VELIKEGA PRIMERKA BELEGA MORSKEGA VOLKA, CARCHARODON CARCHARIAS (LAMNIDAE) OB TUNIZIJSKI OBALI (OSREDNJE SREDOZEMSKO MORJE): ZGODOVINSKI IN IHTIOLOŠKI DOGODEK Jeanne ZAOUALI & Sihem RAFRAFI-NOUIRA Unité de Recherches Exploitation des Milieux aquatiques, Institut Supérieur de Peche et d’Aquaculture de Bizerte, Université de Carthage, BP 15, 7080 Menzel Jemil, Tunisia Khadija OUNIFI-BEN AMOR & Mohamed MOURAD BEN AMOR Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer, port de peche, 2025 La Goulette, Tunisia Christian CAPAPÉ Laboratoire d’Ichtyologie, Université de Montpellier, case 104, 34095 Montpellier cedex 5, France e-mail: capape@univ-montp2.fr POVZETEK Avtorji poročajo o starejšemu zapisu o pojavljanju belega morskega volka, Carcharodon carcharias, ki je prvi podatek te vrste za Hammameški zaliv v osrednji Tuniziji. Primerek je verjetno v dolžino meril 6 m in tehtal pribli­žno dve toni. Nadalje avtorji razpravljajo o razširjenosti vrste na obravnavanem območju in širšem Sredozemskem morju ter o možnih razmnoževalnih okoljih te vrste (jaslicah). Ključne besede: beli morski volk, velikost in telesna teža, Hammameški zaliv, mattanza, Thunnus thynus, jaslice REFERENCES Abela, J. (1989): Lo squalo bianco piu grande del mondo. Aqua, January, 20-21. Barrull, J. & I. Mate (2001): Presence of the great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Catalonian Sea (NW Mediterranean), review and discussion of records and notes about its ecology. An-nales, Series Historia Naturalis, 11(1), 3-12. Belkhodja, T. (1999): Les trois décennies Bourguiba. Témoignage. Arcanteres/Publisud, éditeurs, Paris, 286 pp. Boldrocchi, G., J. Kiszka, S. Purkis, T. Storai, L. Zin­gula & D.Burkholer (2017): Distribution, ecology and status of the white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, in the Mediterranean Sea. Rev. 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Safish (Adelaide, South Australia), 12(3), 12-13. Kabasakal, H. (2014): The status of the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) in Turkey’s waters. Marine Biodi­versity Records, 7, E109. doi:10.1017/S1755267214000980. Kabasakal, H. (2016): Historical dispersal of the great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, and bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus, in Turkish waters: Decline of a predator in response to the loss of its prey. Annales, Series Historia Naturalis., 26, 213-220. Kabasakal, H. & S.Ö. Gedikoglu (2008): Two new-born great white sharks, Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lamniformes; Lamnidae) from Turkish waters of the northern Aegean Sea. Acta Adriatica, 49(2), 125-135. Kabasakal, H., E. Bayri & E. Ataç (2018): Recent records of the great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758) (Chondrichthyes: Lamnidae), in Turkish waters (east­ern Mediterranean). Annales, Series Historia Naturalis, 28, 93-98. Maliet, V., C. Reynaud & C. 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Morgan & J Mandelman (2011): Bycatch of large elasmobranchs in the traditional tuna traps (tonnare) of Sardinia from 1990 to 2009. Fish. Res., 109, 74-79. received: 2020-05-18 DOI 10.19233/ASHN.2020.03 CAPTURES OF LARGE SHARK SPECIES FROM THE NORTHEASTERN TUNISIAN COAST (CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN SEA) Mohamed Mourad BEN AMOR, Marouene BDIOUI & Khadija OUNIFI-BEN AMOR Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer, port de peche, 2025 La Goulette, Tunisia Christian CAPAPÉ Laboratoire d’Ichtyologie, Université de Montpellier, case 104, 34095 Montpellier cedex 5, France e-mail: capape@univ-montp2.fr ABSTRACT The paper examines three large predatory sharks captured in the north-eastern Tunisian coast and the cen­tral Mediterranean Sea. These three species are bluntnose sixgill shark Hexanchus griseus (Bonnaterre, 1788), smalltooth sand tiger shark Odontaspis ferox (Risso, 1810), and great white shark Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758). The distribution of the three species is detailed and their ecological role commented. Key words: Chondrichthyes, Hexanchus griseus, Odontaspis ferox, Carcharodon carcharias, distribution, Tunisian coast CATTURE DI GRANDI SPECIE DI SQUALI LUNGO LA COSTA TUNISINA NORD-ORIENTALE (MEDITERRANEO CENTRALE) SINTESI L’articolo esamina tre grandi squali predatori catturati lungo la costa nord-orientale della Tunisia e nel Mediter­raneo centrale. Si tratta dello squalo capopiatto Hexanchus griseus (Bonnaterre, 1788), del cagnaccio Odontaspis ferox (Risso, 1810) e del grande squalo bianco Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758). Gli autori presentano nel dettaglio la distribuzione delle tre specie e commentano il loro ruolo ecologico. Parole chiave: Chondrichthyes, Hexanchus griseus, Odontaspis ferox, Carcharodon carcharias, distribuzione, costa tunisina 15 INTRODUCTION The northern Tunisian coast constitutes a transition path for fish species between the western and eastern Mediterranean Basins, and mainly for large predatory sharks (Quignard & Capapé, 1971; Capapé, 1989). This opinion has been corroborated by recent reports of captures occurring in this same area (Rafrafi-Nou­ira et al., 2015, 2019; Ben Amor et al., 2016; 2019; Capapé et al., 2018). Investigations regularly conducted concomitantly in Tunisian waters in the wake of local assistance of experienced fishermen have allowed the collection of a shoal of bluntnose sixgill shark Hexanchus griseus (Bonnaterre, 1788), a specimen of the rare smalltooth sand tiger Odontaspis ferox (Risso, 1810), and a great white shark Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758). This paper provides information and data about the capture of the three species, occurring during com­mercial surveys off the northern Tunisian coast, and some comments about the status of these species in the capture areas, and inside and outside the Medi­terranean Sea. MATERIAL AND METHODS Each species is separately presented, including data of fishing gear, capture site, depth, nature of bottom and, when possible, associated fauna (Fig. 1). The specimens were rapidly cut into slices and sold soon after landing and it was generally difficult to get for each specimen its size, total length (TL) and total body weight. Photographs were taken to confirm the authen­ticity of these captures. RESULTS Bluntnose sixgill shark Hexanchus griseus (Bonnaterre, 1788) This species is distributed worldwide, from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean, and off both sides of the Atlantic Ocean (Cook & Compagno, 2005). It is known throughout the Mediterranean Sea, in both ea­stern and western basins, and commonly collected in certain areas (Capapé et al., 2003, 2004; Kabasakal, 2006, 2013; Basusta & Basusta, 2015). Catches of Hexanchus griseus were previously cited in northern Tunisian areas at the level of Eskerkis Bank (Capapé, 1989; Rafrafi-Nouira et al., 2015) and southwards, mainly in the Gulf of Gabes (Bradai et al., 2002). Additionally, single specimens of H. griseus were sporadically captured by trawl targeting Euro­pean pilchard Sardina pilchardus (Walbaum, 1792), approximately at a depth of 200 m, in the Gulf of Tunis. On 10 June 2019, a shoal of 21 H. griseus was landed at the fishing port of Kélibia, located in the north of the Cape Bon Peninsula, northeastern Tunisia, by bottom longline targeting groupers. The captures occurred in the Strait of Sicily between Marettimo Island, close to the northwestern Sicilian coast, and the northeastern Tunisian coast, at a depth of 700-1000 m approxima­tely (Ben Amor et al., 2019). Fig. 1: Map of the central Mediterranean Sea, indicating capture sites of the three large sharks presented in this paper. Hexanchus griseus: 1. Capture from Ben Amor et al. (2019). 2. Capture occurring on 9 April 2020. 3. Capture occurring on 24 April 2020. Odontaspis ferox: black triangle, around Zembra Island from Capapé (1975). 2. Together with Hexanchus griseus. Black star, capture site of Carcharodon carcharias. GT = Gulf of Tunis. GH = Gulf of Hammamet. GG = Gulf of Gabes. Sl. 1: Zemljevid obravnavanega območja z označeno lokaliteto, kjer so bili ujeti primerki treh velikih mor­skih psov. Hexanchus griseus: 1. Podatki po Ben Amor s sod. (2019). 2. Ulov z dne 9 aprila 2020. 3. Ulov z dne 24 aprila 2020. Odontaspis ferox: črni trikotnik, okoli otoka Zembra, po Capapé (1975). 2. Skupaj s primerkom vrste Hexanchus griseus. Črna zvezdica označuje lokaliteto ulova vrste Carcharodon carcha­rias. GT = Tuniški zaliv. GH = Zaliv Hammamet. GG = Zaliv Gabes. One year later, on 9 April 2020, a second shoal of 12 H. griseus was collected between the east coast of Linosa, an islet close to Lampedusa, and the western coast of Malta Island, at 35° 43’ 20’’ N and 13° 9’ 43’’ E (see Fig. 1). The specimens were caught by bottom longlines, at depths between 400 and 1100 m on rocky bottom, together with a specimen of smalltooth sand ti­ger shark Odontaspis ferox (Risso, 1810), a specimen of unidentified torpedo, several Squalus blainvillei (Risso, 1826), and a specimen of dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe, 1834). All captured specimens were landed at the fishing port of Kélibia, where they were examined and photographed (Fig. 2). The total weight of this shoal reached 55 tons. Additionally, on 24 April 2020, other 2 specimens of H. griseus were captured off Pantelleria Island, at 36° 28’ 20’’ N and 12° 31’ 30’’ E. They were caught by bottom longlines, at a depth of 1100 m, on rocky bot­tom. They were not measured for length, but weighed 350 kg and 400 kg, respectively. Finally, on 2 May 2020, 13 specimens of H. griseus, 2 females and 11 males, were captured 13 miles south­-east of Pantelleria Island, at 36° 28’ 20’’ N and 12° 29’ 51’ E. They were caught by bottom longlines, at a depth of 800 m on rocky bottom, together with speci­mens of E. marginatus. Their total body weight reached Fig. 3: Fully yolked eggs removed from a female of Hexanchus griseus: 1. Each egg was covered by a fine diaphanous membrane. 2. All eggs were enveloped together in one single membranous capsule. Sl. 3: Z rumenjakom bogato jajce, odstranjeno iz samice vrste Hexanchus griseus: 1. Vsako jajce je pre­krito s fino presevno membrano. 2. Vsa jajca so skupaj združena v eni membranski kapsuli. 54 tons. Both females measured 3.5 m in total length and weighed 700 kg in total body weight, and carried 120 and 118 fully yolked eggs ready to be ovulated, respectively. Each egg was covered by a fine diaphano­us membrane, and together they were enveloped in a single membranous capsule (Fig. 3). All specimens of H. griseus were identified in situ or from photographs provided by Kélibia port authority, through the combination of some characteristics, such as: body stout, head broad, snout short and blunt, six gill slits, a single dorsal fin above fin base, upper jaw with 4 rows of front teeth, lower jaw with 6 rows of lower blade-like, comb-shaped teeth on each side, dorsal surface dark brown, belly beige. This descrip­tion is in total accordance with Boeseman (1984), Compagno (1984), Quéro et al. (2003), and Ebert & Stehmann (2013). Fig. 4: A. Hexanchus griseus. B. Odontaspis ferox. landed at the fishing site of Kélibia. Sl. 4: A. Hexanchus griseus. B. Odontaspis ferox, iz ribiške lokalitete Kélibia. Smalltooth sand tiger shark Odontaspis ferox (Risso, 1810) This shark was captured together with a shoal of H. griseus in similar conditions (see above). It was identified by the combination of the following main morphological characters: a bulky body with a long conical snout; eye small more than 4 times in snout, without nictitating eyelids; mouth long, extending behind the eyes (Fig. 4); teeth moderately large, each with a prominent narrow cusp and two or more pairs of lateral cusplets (Fig. 5); second dorsal fin origin above or slightly behind anal fin origin; anal fin and second dorsal fin smaller than first dorsal fin, caudal fin asymmetrical, with a strong lower lobe. Colour medium grey, sometimes with darker reddish spots scattered along the body, pelvic and anal fins very dark grey, lower edge of caudal fin almost black. These morphological characters are in total agreement with Compagno (1984). and Ebert & Stehmann (2013). The smalltooth sand tiger shark, Odontaspis ferox, has a cosmopolitan distribution in warm temperate and tropical waters, and although essentially demer­sal, it has also been captured pelagically in mid-ocean (Compagno, 1984). The species often occurs inshore at steeply shelving coastal and insular locations, and in the Southern Hemisphere, most O. ferox were cau­ght by trawl on the continental slope down to 880 m (Fergusson et al., 2008). Due to its wide distribution, the species has been reported in oceans and seas throughout the world (Ebert & Stehmann, 2013). It is sporadically captured off the western Atlantic coast from North America (Sheehan, 1998) to Brazil (Menni et al., 1995). Off the eastern Atlantic coast, O. ferox is recorded off France (Quéro et al., 2003), Portugal (Carneiro et al., 2014) and southward of the Strait of Gibraltar from Morocco, without information about the capture site according to Collignon & Aloncle (1972), to Mauritania (Ebert & Stehmann, 2013). It is recorded in waters surrounding islands such as the Azores (Barcelos et al., 2018), Ma­deira (Maul, 1955), the Canaries (Barría et al., 2018) and Cape Verde (Wirtz et al., 2013). The first Mediterranean record of O. ferox occurred off Nice, southern France (Risso, 1810), subsequently, it was also reported by Bougis (1959) and Granier (1964); conversely, Capapé (1977) and Capapé et al. (2000) did not find the species in the area. Barrull & Mate (2002) considered the species as present off the Spanish coast. Tortonese (1956) noted the capture of a large female, 370 cm TL, from the Gulf of Genoa, southwards, two other specimens were reported by Vanni (1992), while Vacchi & Sere­na (1997) and Sperone et al. (2012) reported captures from the Sicily Strait. Soldo & Jardas (2000) added that O. ferox is sporadically caught in the Adriatic Sea. Eastwards, O. ferox is present in the Aegean Sea (Ondrias, 1971), furtherly Kabasakal & Bayri (2019) summarized several captures of specimens that occurred in Turkish waters, while Akbora et al. (2019) reported other captures from Cyprus Island. Additionally, O. ferox is also recorded in the Levant Basin (Mouneimne, 1977; Golani, 2005; Bariche & Fricke, 2020). Off the Maghreb shore, Dieuzeide et al. (1953) noted the occurrence of the species in the Algerian coast, which was furtherly confirmed (Hemida, pers. com., in Barrull & Mate, 2002). Capapé (1975) repor­ted the capture of a female measuring 247 cm TL and weighing 70 kg, off Zembra Island, located in the Gulf of Tunis, northeastern Tunisia. The present capture (Fig. 5) constitutes a new record for the central Me­diterranean Sea, where Schembri et al. (2003) noted that specimens may be collected annually in small numbers around Malta Islands; among them adult females of up to ca 360 cm TL were captured during years 1998 and 1999 in the area. Great white shark Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758) This large shark has worldwide distribution, especially in temperate waters, and its occurrence is well documented throughout the Mediterranean Sea, especially in the Strait of Sicily, where several juveni­le and adult specimens were recorded (Quéro, 1984; Fergusson 1996, 2002; Saidi et al., 2005; Maliet et al., 2013). C. carcharias is known off the Tunisian coast, like other large and dangerous elasmobranch species (Capapé et al., 1975), and it appears that more than 60 reliable captures of the species should be taken into consideration from Tunisian waters (Zaouali et al., 2020). On 28 April 2020, a specimen was caught by drift longline baited with clupeid and scombrid species. The capture occurred off Sousse, a city located in eastern Tunisia, at 35° 01’ 01 N and 12° 11’ 11’’ E, at a depth of 30-50 m, on soft bottom. The specimen was a female measuring 232 cm TL and weighing 90 kg. It was identified based on the combination of main morphological characters, such as: body very large, fusiform, snout rather blunt, flattened above, origin of first dorsal fin slightly posterior to inner corner of pec­toral fin, a single keel on caudal base, teeth triangular, coarsely serrate, blade-like; colour greyish-brown or blue above, belly white (Fig. 6). DISCUSSION The captures of large sharks reported in the present paper indicate that these species are not totally extinct in the Mediterranean and some viable populations continue to develop and reproduce in this sea. Such is for instance the case for H. griseus and C. carcharias. Conversely, such pattern is not evident for O. ferox, but it cannot be totally ruled out seeing that some specimens were recently captured in the eastern Me­diterranean (Kabasakal & Bayri, 2019; Akbora et al., 2019; Bariche & Fricke, 2020). About the specimens caught from Malta Islands, Schembri et al. (2003) noted that such discoveries suggest that adult females reach annually selected sites, possibly for reproduction, which makes O. ferox especially vulnerable during aggregations when they fall prey to overfishing and spearfishing more easily. The recent captures of O. ferox from both central and eastern Mediterranean suggest that the species is not totally extinct in this sea. However, the presence of a viable population in some areas is yet uncertain, parti­ally due to the lack of information about all traits of its reproductive biology. These two new captures of shoals of Hexanchus griseus from the Tunisian coast confirm once again that the species is not facing a drastic decline despite its K-selective traits (Ebert, 1986; Capapé et al., Fig. 6: Carcharodon carcharias landed at the fishing site of Sousse. A. Head. B. Snout showing teeth. Sl. 6: Carcharodon carcharias iz ribiške lokalitete Sousse. A. Glava. B. Gobec z zobmi. 2004). Also, there have been several records reported throughout the Mediterranean during several deca­des, suggesting that a viable population of H. griseus is at present probably established in this sea. The captures of the two shoals probably occurred during the shark’s reproductive period as indicated by the presence of large males and females, probably adults. Such hypothesis is confirmed by the fact that three females carried fully yolked oocytes. The record of first such specimen was provided by Ounifi-Ben Amor et al. (2017), and two are described in the present paper. The numbers of these oocytes, 85, 118 and 120 revealed higher levels of ovarian fecundity than is generally recorded in viviparous sharks. H. griseus could be classified as a relatively prolific elasmo-branch species and such phenomenon explains its abundance in some areas, Tunisian and Turkish waters as best instances. Each oocyte is protected by a fine membrane, and all oocytes are enveloped together in an external membrane. This prevented them from being scattered while handled by fishermen, which unfortunately, can happen, too (see Ounifi-Ben Amor et al., 2017). Such abundance could be correlated to food sources and feeding aggregation, or, like in the present cases, to sharks apparently schooling to revisit sites with good environmental conditions and availability of food and in search of favourable nursery grounds where females could lay and protect their brood. Such patterns cannot be totally ruled out. The flesh of H. griseus is not appreciated for consumption by Tunisian people, it is probably ichthyosarcotoxic due to its richness in oil and rather dangerous to health (see Capapé et al., 1975). The shark was not targeted by fishermen, but due to the fact that the country is facing economic difficulties, these captures are considered an opportunity by fis­hermen and consequently the sharks are not released back into the sea, which may contribute to a possible depletion of stocks. A strong monitoring of the species should therefore be conducted to avoid a drastic de­cline of the species in the area. Boldrocchi et al. (2017) noted that between 476 and 2015, 628 reliable records of C. carcharias were reported in the Mediterranean Sea, and informed us (Boldrocchi, 2020, in letteris) that no other record occurred in this sea since 2015. The two records of C. carcharias reported by Rafrafi et al. (2015, 2019) from the northeastern Tunisian coast and the present record are probably the last ones known to date locally and in this sea. Such records mean that Tunisian waters are a hotspot for conservation and reproduction of this species. The specimen caught off Sousse is pro­bably a juvenile specimen (see Compagno, 1984) and confirms the hypothesis that Tunisian waters could be a nursery ground for the species. Despite a number of white sharks caught in Tunisian waters and their relative abundance, their role in the conservation and reproduction of the species were completely dismissed by Moro et al. (2019), which is a rather incomprehensible and inadmissible opinion. Following Ferretti et al. (2008) it appears, accor­ding to the evidence available, that large predatory sharks in the Mediterranean Sea are generally decli­ning in abundance, diversity and range. Conversely, the data herein presented indicate that may not be the case in certain Mediterranean areas. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors are grateful to Mr Raouf Galii, captain and owner of the long-liner boat “Nassim-Hasan”, for providing information about the captures of Hexan­chus griseus and Odontaspis ferox. They wish also thank two anonymous referees for their helpful and useful comments allowing to improve the scientifc quality of the present article. ULOVI VELIKIH MORSKIH PSOV OB SEVEROVZHODNI TUNIZIJSKI OBALI (OSREDNJE SREDOZEMSKO MORJE) Mohamed Mourad BEN AMOR, Marouene BDIOUI & Khadija OUNIFI-BEN AMOR Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer, port de peche, 2025 La Goulette, Tunisia Christian CAPAPÉ Laboratoire d’Ichtyologie, Université de Montpellier, case 104, 34095 Montpellier cedex 5, France e-mail: capape@univ-montp2.fr POVZETEK Avtorji poročajo o treh vrstah velikih morskih psov, ujetih ob severovzhodni tunizijski obali. Gre za primerke morskega psa šesteroškrgarja Hexanchus griseus (Bonnaterre, 1788), morskega bika Odontaspis ferox (Risso, 1810), in belega morskega volka Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758). Razpravljajo o razširjenosti vrst in njihovi ekološki vlogi. Ključne besede: Chondrichthyes, Hexanchus griseus, Odontaspis ferox, Carcharodon carcharias, razširjenost, tunizijska obala REFERENCES Akbora, H.D., E. Bayri, D. 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Capapé (2020): Capture of a large great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias (Lamnidae) from the Tunisian coast (Central Mediterranean Sea): a historical and ichthyological event. Annales, Ser. Hist. Nat., 30(1), 9-14. received: 2020-04-06 DOI 10.19233/ASHN.2020.04 ON A HUGE SHORTFIN MAKO SHARK ISURUS OXYRINCHUS RAFINESQUE, 1810 (CHONDRICHTHYES: LAMNIDAE) OBSERVED AT CABRERA GRANDE, BALEARIC ISLANDS, SPAIN Fernando LOPEZ-MIRONES calle Rio Alagon 1209, El Casar, 19170 Guadalajara, Spain e-mail: fernandomirones@telefonica.net Alessandro DE MADDALENA Shark Museum, 26 Forest Hill Road, Simon’s Town, 7995 Cape Town, South Africa e-mail: alessandrodemaddalena@gmail.com Ricardo SAGARMINAGA VAN BUITEN ALNITAK, Calle nalon 16, 28240 Hoyo De Manzanares, Spain e-mail: ric@alnitak.org ABSTRACT A huge female shortfin mako shark, Isurus oxyrinchus, was observed on 28 June 2018 near Cabrera Grande, in the Balearic Islands, Spain. Its total length was carefully estimated at 500 cm based on a comparison with a 520-cm inflatable boat. This specimen is therefore the largest mako known alive and the second largest mako ever recorded worldwide. Key words: shortfin mako shark, Isurus oxyrinchus, maximum size, Spain, Cabrera National Park, Mediterranean Sea IN MERITO A UN ENORME SQUALO MAKO DALLE PINNE CORTE ISURUS OXYRINCHUS RAFINESQUE, 1810 (CHONDRICHTHYES: LAMNIDAE) OSSERVATO ALLE ISOLE BALEARI, SPAGNA SINTESI Un’enorme femmina di squalo mako dalle pinne corte Isurus oxyrinchus, fu osservato nei pressi di Cabrera Grande, alle Isole Baleari, in Spagna, il 28 giugno 2018. La lunghezza totale dell’esemplare fu stimata con accura­tezza pari a 500 cm sulla base delle dimensioni di un gommone di 520 cm. Tale esemplare e pertanto il piu grande mako mai osservato vivo ed il secondo piu grande registrato a livello mondiale. Parole chiave: squalo mako dalle pinne corte, Isurus oxyrinchus, dimensioni massime, Spagna, Parco Nazionale dell’Arcipelago di Cabrera, mare Mediterraneo 25 INTRODUCTION MATERIAL AND METHODS The shortfin mako Isurus oxyrinchus Rafinesque, 1810, inhabits temperate and tropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is pelagic, coastal and oceanic, occurring at a depth range from 0 to 500 m (Compagno, 2001). The shortfin mako is present in the entire Mediterranean (De Maddalena & Baensch, 2005), where it is caught mainly by tuna longline fishery and occasionally by swordfish fishery using longlines and driftnets (Celona et al., 2004; Megalofonou et al., 2005). Although the majority of shortfin mako catches are recorded in pelagic fisher­ies, in a recent report, Kabasakal (2015) emphasized that new-born and juvenile specimens of I. oxyrinchus can be incidentally captured by coastal stationary netting and bottom longline fishing, as well. In the present article we report a record of a huge shortfin mako spotted in June 2018 by the team of Alnitak Marine Research and Education Center in the Balearic Islands, in Spanish Mediterranean waters. The observation took place from the research vessel Toftevaag, an 18-metre LOA converted historic Norwegian fishing boat, and from a 520-cm-long in­flatable boat. The shark was encountered during a shipboard survey in the waters of the proposed exten­sion of Cabrera National Park (Parque Nacional del Archipiélago de Cabrera), while tracking cetaceans, sea turtles, seabirds, devil rays and bluefin tuna. The crew of the Toftevaag at the time of the encounter was composed of Ricardo Sagarminaga van Buiten as cap­tain, Fernando López-Mirones as biologist and film­maker for ORCA-Films, and Beat von Niederhaeusern as boatswain. A few volunteers were also on board, including Sam Laederach, Georgina Stevens, Doris Juen, Cornelia Luxner, Susanne Luxner, Naim Lasgaa and Miguel Félix. On 28 June 2018, at 07:00 UT, three hours after sunrise, at 39° 5.35 N and 003° 4.31 E, with wind force 0 (Beaufort) and sea state 0 (Douglas), the dorsal fin was observed of a shark gliding slowly through the shark was barely visible. A short, 25-second high-the surface in 700-m-deep waters of the Emile Baudot resolution aerial video was filmed by the first author escarpment, 5 nmi ESE of the Cabrera Grande Island from the mast of the boat from a height of 7 m, and was (Fig. 1). fundamental for identification purposes. On the same day, a small juvenile loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758) had been seen basking just one hour before 3.8 miles north from the sighting position, and a pod of 40 Risso’s dolphins Grampus griseus (Cuvier, 1812) was observed slowly travelling north at a distance of 1000 m just after the encounter with the shark. According to data from the Balearic Islands Coastal Ocean Observing and Forecasting System (SOCIB) and observation by Alnitak, 14 days prior to the shark encounter there had been particularly numerous ob­servations of bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus (Linnaeus, 1758), giant devil rays Mobula mobular (Bonnaterre, 1788), sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus Lin­naeus, 1758 with calves, and large dolphin groups, while 7 days before the shark encounter there had been an important reduction in the number of sight­ings, except for turtles and Risso’s dolphins, while sperm whales appeared to be silent, not clicking, just frequently breaching. Fig. 2: The estimated 500-cm TL female shortfin mako shark, observed near Cabrera Grande, Balearic Islands, Spain, on 28 June 2018. This mako is believed to be the largest of its species observed alive, and the second largest ever recorded worldwide (photo by ALNITAK/ORCA-Films). Sl. 2: Pet metrov dolga samica atlantskega maka, foto­grafirana 28. junija 2018 blizu otoka Cabrera na Bale-arih (Španija). Avtorji menijo, da gre za največji živeči primerek in drugi največji doslej zabeleženi primerek (foto: ALNITAK/ORCA-Films). Pictures and videos of the shark were taken with a Nikon D750 camera, a Panasonic AG-DVX 200 video camera and a GoPro Hero3 video camera for subsequent analysis (Figs. 2-4). Underwater videos were filmed from the inflatable boat by the second author, but in them Fig. 4: Close-up of the shortfin mako shark showing the whitish band visible at the base of the dorsal fin, which is a peculiar feature of very large shortfin makos (photo by ALNITAK/ORCA-Films). Sl. 4: Bližinski posnetek atlantskega maka, na katerem je razvidna belkasta proga na korenu hrbtne plavuti, ki je značilna za večje primerke te vrste (foto: ALNI-TAK/ORCA-Films). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The shark was observed by the first two authors for 70 minutes. The size of the shark was carefully estimated by the first two authors at 500 cm total length (TL), based on the size of the inflatable boat, which was 520 cm LOA. Some evident morphological features of the animal, including markedly spindle-shaped body, pointed conical snout, presence of caudal keel, and long gill slits, allowed the authors to make an immediate iden­tification of the shark as a representative of the family Lamnidae. Although the shark was initially identified as a great white shark Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758), after careful examination of the high-resolution video and the photos we were able to conclude that the species observed by the team of Alnitak was actually an unusually large shortfin mako shark. Large individuals of shortfin mako may bear a similarity with the great white shark, considerably more conspicuous than small or medium-sized individuals, however the two species can be told apart by various features (De Maddalena et al., 2005). The identification of the Cabrera shark as I. oxyrinchus is therefore based on many morphological characteristics, which are listed below. Some of these also constitute a solid confirma­tion of the fact that the shark was indeed a shortfin mako of a very large size. The estimated 500-cm size may seem barely accept­able for I. oxyrinchus, considering that only three other individuals of over 400 cm have been recorded to date worldwide (Kabasakal & De Maddalena, 2011), but on the other hand these records show that while the occur­rence of such gigantic makos is extremely rare, it is still a reality. The colouration is grey brown with a hint of blue. This can be observed in large makos, while smaller individuals display a much more brilliant blue colour with strong metallic reflection. The shape of the first dorsal fin, high and more erect than in C. carcharias, corresponds to what is normally observed in I. oxyrinchus (Fig. 5). The posterior margin of the first dorsal fin is mostly smooth and with only a few notches, which is typical of I. oxyrinchus, while C. carcharias shows a much more irregular posterior margin with a high number of notches (Fig. 5). The whitish band visible at the base of the dorsal fin is a peculiar feature of very large shortfin makos and is not observed in great white sharks (Fig. 4). The shape of the body, both the head and trunk stout and very massive, can suggest either a great white shark or a very large shortfin mako, but are definitely not compatible with small or medium-sized mako specimens. The pectoral fins are long, conspicuously longer than in an average shortfin mako. It is known that neonate specimens of I. oxyrinchus have very short pectoral fins, however, these get conspicuously longer as the individual grows, up to the point of reaching a similar length as in C. carcharias. The caudal fin’s terminal lobe is not as prominent as in C. carcharias, and its size fits the one normally observable in I. oxyrinchus (Fig. 5). The large size of the caudal keel may fit both C. car-charias and a very large I. oxyrinchus, but its angular shape definitely indicates the latter species. The lower lobe of the caudal fin is as big as, or perhaps even bigger than, the upper lobe. In this regard we have to consider that while in C. carcharias the proportion of the two lobes tends to remain similar in small and large individuals, in I. oxyrinchus the lower lobe is much shorter than the upper lobe in juveniles, but becomes much larger when the individual grows bigger, and eventually it may match the size of the upper lobe. On the head and the trunk there are bite scars that are likely the result of love bites by a mako, not by a great white shark. The fast and somewhat nervous swimming pattern is typical of shortfin mako shark but not of great white shark. Other features that differentiate I. oxyrinchus from C. carcharias, like the absence of a black tip on the underside of pectoral fins, the shape of the teeth, the respective posi­tion of the dorsal fin origin and pectoral fin free rear tip, the boundary between the colouration of the lateral and ven­tral surfaces, could not be observed. However, the totality of the observable features listed above, leads to a solid conclusive identification of the species as I. oxyrinchus. While a study of 199 shortfin mako sharks showed an average total length of 171 cm (Kohler et al., 1996) this spe­cies can sometimes attain incredibly larger sizes. The larg­est shortfin mako reported to date worldwide was a female caught in the late 1950s in the Aegean Sea off Marmaris, Turkey, which was estimated at 585 cm TL with a 577­619 cm range (Kabasakal & De Maddalena, 2011). Other large specimens have been recorded in the Mediterranean area. A 445-cm-long specimen was caught off Six-Fours les-Plages, France, in September 1973 (Capapé, 1977). A 425-cm-long shortfin mako was caught off La Galite Island, Tunisia, on 24 September 1876, and its jaws are preserved in the Natural History Museum of Genoa, Italy (Doria & Gestro, 1877). Lawley (1881) reported a 4-metre-long specimen that weighed 1000 kg, which was observed in a warehouse of a fishmonger in Livorno and was caught off Piombino, Italy. A 400-cm-long shortfin mako captured off Caska, Novalja, Croatia, on 13 May 1882 was reported by Brusina (1888). A 390-cm-long shortfin mako was caught on 30 November 1991 off Bagnara Calabra, Italy (Storai et al., 2001). Another 390-cm-long specimen, weighing 513 kg, was caught on 20 September 2000 off Punta Alice, Italy (Storai et al., 2001). A 390-cm-long female was caught on 26 July 2003 off Scaletta Zanclea, Italy, and another female, measuring 370 cm TL, was caught between Portopalo di Capo Passero and Marzamemi, Italy, on 22 June 2004 (Celona et al., 2004). A 380-cm-long female was caught in summer 2012, by a commercial purse-seiner operating in Iskenderun Bay, eastern Levantine Sea (Kabasakal, 2015). Taking into account these records, the estimated 500­cm TL female shortfin mako shark observed near Cabrera Grande is believed to be the largest of its species observed alive, and the second largest ever recorded worldwide. Fig. 5: Morphology of the shortfin mako (a) and the great white shark Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758) (b). The arrows mark some of the features that differentiate I. oxyrinchus from C. carcharias: a more erect first dorsal fin, a smoother posterior margin of the dorsal fin and a less prominent caudal fin's terminal lobe (illustration by Alessandro De Maddalena). Sl. 5: Morfološke značilnosti atlantskega maka (a) in belega morskega volka Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758) (b). Puščice označujejo znake, po katerih je možno razlikovati vrsto I. oxyrinchus od C. carcharias: bolj pokončna hrbtna plavut, bolj gladek zadnji rob hrbtne plavuti in manj očitna krpica na repni plavuti (ilustracija: A. De Maddalena). ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS shark, and Eric Glenn Haenni for taking the time to edit the manuscript. Fernando López-Mirones thanks Very special thanks to all the people that were Tatu, Santiago, Sebastian and Marina for their love and on board at the time of the observation reported in Alexander Sanchez Jones for his help. Alessandro De this article. The authors wish to thank Andrew Fox Maddalena thanks Alessandra, Antonio and Phoebe for his constructive comments on the Cabrera mako for their support and love. O OPAZOVANJU VELIKEGA PRIMERKA ATLANTSKEGA MAKA ISURUS OXYRINCHUS RAFINESQUE, 1810 (CHONDRICHTHYES: LAMNIDAE) V BLIŽINI OTOKA CABRERA GRANDE, BALEARSKO OTOČJE, ŠPANIJA Fernando LOPEZ-MIRONES calle Rio Alagon 1209, El Casar, 19170 Guadalajara, Spain, e-mail: fernandomirones@telefonica.net Alessandro DE MADDALENA Shark Museum, 26 Forest Hill Road, Simon’s Town, 7995 Cape Town, South Africa, e-mail: alessandrodemaddalena@gmail.com Ricardo SAGARMINAGA VAN BUITEN ALNITAK, Calle nalon 16, 28240 Hoyo De Manzanares, Spain, e-mail: ric@alnitak.org POVZETEK Osemindvajsetega junija 2018 so blizu otoka Cabrera Grande na Balearih (Španija) opazovali veliko samico atlantskega maka (Isurus oxyrinchus). Na podlagi primerjave z gumenjakom, ki je meril 520 cm, so ocenili, da je samica merila 500 cm v dolžino. Gre za največji živeči primerek te vrste in drugi največji doslej zabeleženi primerek. Ključne besede: atlantski mako, Isurus oxyrinchus, največja dolžina, Španija, Nacionalni park Cabrera, Sredozemsko morje REFERENCES Brusina, S. (1888): Morski psi Sredozemnoga i Crljenog mora (Sharks of the Adriatic and the Black Sea). Glasnik hrvatskoga naravoslovnoga družtva, III: 167-230, Zagreb. Capapé, C. (1977): Liste commentée des sélachiens de la région de Toulon (de La Ciotat a Saint-Tropez). Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Marseille, 37, 5-9. Celona, A., L. Piscitelli & A. De Maddalena (2004): Two large shortfin makos, Isurus oxyrinchus, Rafinesque, 1809, caught off Sicily, western Ionian Sea. Annales, Series Historia Naturalis, 14, 35-42. Cliff, G., S.F.J. Dudley & B. Davis (1989): Sharks caught in the protective gill nets off Natal, South Africa. 3. The short-fin mako shark Isurus oxyrinchus (Linnaeus). S. Afr. J. Mar. Sci., 9, 115-126. Compagno, L.J.V. (2001): Sharks of the world. An an­notated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Volume 2. 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Gioia (2001): Evidenze di predazione su odontoceti da parte di Isurus oxyrinchus (Rafinesque, 1810) nel Tirreno Meridionale e Mar Ionio (Mediterraneo). Atti Soc. tosc. Sci. nat., Mem., Serie B, 108, 71-75. received: 2020-04-14 DOI 10.19233/ASHN.2020.05 CAPTURE OF A BIGEYE THRESHER SHARK ALOPIAS SUPERCILIOSUS (ALOPIIDAE) IN TURKISH WATERS (EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN SEA) Okan AKYOL & Tevfik CEYHAN Ege University, Faculty of Fisheries, 35440, Urla, Izmir, Turkey Christian CAPAPÉ Laboratoire d’Ichtyologie, Université de Montpellier, case 104, 34095 Montpellier cedex 5, France e-mail: capape@univ-montp2.fr ABSTRACT The present paper reports a new capture of bigeye thresher shark, Alopias superciliosus (Lowe, 1839). To date, 9 specimens have been recorded in the area, suggesting that a viable population of this type of shark might be successfully establishing in the area, but other records are needed to confirm this hypothesis. The paper comments on the distribution of the species in the Mediterranean Sea, suggesting that it does not originate from this sea, but is probably a migrant species from the eastern tropical Atlantic or from the Indian Ocean. Key words: Chondrichthyes, Alopiidae, distribution, population, migration CATTURA DI SQUALO VOLPE OCCHIONE ALOPIAS SUPERCILIOSUS (ALOPIIDAE) IN ACQUE DELLA TURCHIA (MEDITERRANEO ORIENTALE) SINTESI Il presente documento riporta una nuova cattura di squalo volpe occhione, Alopias superciliosus (Lowe, 1839). Ad oggi, nove esemplari sono stati registrati nell’area, suggerendo che una popolazione vitale di questa specie si stia stabilendo con successo nell’area. Saranno comunque necessarie altre segnalazioni per confer-mare questa ipotesi. L’articolo commenta la distribuzione delle specie nel Mediterraneo, suggerendo che lo squalo volpe occhione non sia originario di questo mare, ma sia probabilmente una specie migratrice arrivata all’Atlantico orientale o dall’Oceano Indiano. Parole chiave: Chondrichthyes, Alopiidae, distribuzione, popolazione, migrazione 31 INTRODUCTION MATERIAL AND METHODS The bigeye thresher shark, Alopias superciliosus (Lowe, 1840), is a cosmopolitan species widely dis­tributed in warm temperate waters of the the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans (Compagno, 1984). Off the eastern Atlantic coast, A. superciliosus is abundantly collected off the eastern side of the Atlantic Ocean from Portugal and Madeira to Morocco between 15° and 40° N (Quéro, 1984); Moreno & Morón (1992) and Fernandez-Carvalho et al. (2011) provided data about some traits of its reproductive biology from these areas. A. superciliosus probably entered the Mediter­ranean Sea through the Strait of Gibraltar; in the Mediterranean, it was first recorded in the Ionian Sea following Gruber & Compagno (1981). An overview of Mediterranean records reported in literature shows that at least 40 specimens have been captured since, most of them in the eastern Basin, and especially in Turkish waters (Lanteri et al., 2017). Investigations regularly conducted in the latter area, focusing on elasmobranch species and supported by local fishermen actively helping the researchers, have enabled the collection of the spe­cimen of A. superciliosus presented in this paper, which also provides comments about the species’ origin and distribution in the same area and in the wider Mediterranean Sea. On 23 September 2012, a specimen of A supercili­osus was captured by a pelagic longline at a depth of 1100 m off Fethiye, a city by the Aegean Sea, located at 36° 23’ N and 29° 00’ E (Fig. 1). The specimen was a female measuring 150 cm in total length (TL), and weighing 30.2 kg (Fig. 2). It was caught together with a Mediterranean moray eel Muraena helena Linnaeus, 1758, an oilfish Ruvettus pretiosus Cocco, 1829 and a swordfish Xiphias gladius, Linnaeus 1758. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The specimen was identified as A. superciliosus based on the combination of the following main morphological characters: species-typical elongated upper lobe; snout rather long, bulbous; eyes very large, with orbits reaching the dorsal surface of the head; horizontal groove present on either side of head above the gills; labial furrows absent; first dorsal fin closer to pelvic fins than to pectoral fins; dorsal surface dark blue, belly cream to greyish. These morphological characters are in total agre­ement with Compagno (1984), Quéro (1984) and Ebert & Stehmann (2013), and allow to include the present specimen among the nine A. superciliosus recorded to date in Turkish waters (Tab. 1). Ebert Fig. 1: Records of Alopias superciliosus captured in Turkish waters by chronological order. 1: Marmaris, Aegean Sea (Clo et al., 2009). 2: Gökova Bay, Aegean Sea (Kabasakal, unpubl. data). 3: Sivrice, Aegean Sea (Kabasakal et al., 2011). 4: Silivri, Sea of Marmara (Kabasakal & Karhan, 2007). 5: Fethiye, Aegean Sea (Kabasakal et al., 2011). 6: Silivri, Sea of Marmara (Kabasakal et al., 2011). 7: Fethiye, Aegean Sea (This study). 8-9: Antalya, NE Mediterranean (Soldo et al., 2014). Insert: asterisk indicates the capture site of the present specimen. Sl. 1: Zapisi o pojavljanju velikooke morske lisice v turških vodah po kronološkem redosledu. 1: Marmaris, Egejsko morje (Clo in sod., 2009). 2: Gökova Bay, Egejsko morje (Kabasakal, neobjavl. podatki). 3: Sivrice, Egejsko morje (Kabasakal in sod., 2011). 4: Silivri, Marmarsko morje (Kabasakal & Karhan, 2007). 5: Fethiye, Egejsko morje (Ka­basakal in sod., 2011). 6: Silivri, Marmarsko morje (Kabasakal in sod., 2011). 7: Fethiye, Egejsko morje (pričujoča raziskava). 8-9: Antalya, SV Sredozemsko morje (Soldo in sod., 2014). Manjša slika - zvezdica označuje mesto ulova obravnavanega primerka. Fig. 2: A - specimen of Alopias superciliosus captured off Fethiye (Aegean Sea), scale bar = 75 mm. B - head of the same specimen, scale bar = 75 mm. Sl. 2: A - primerek velikooke morske lisice, ujet v vodah pred Fethiye (Egejsko morje), merilo = 75 mm. B - glava primerka, merilo = 75 mm. & Stehmann (2013) noted that size at birth ranged between 100 and 140 cm TL, with the largest adult A. superciliosus ever captured reaching 484 cm TL. Since female specimens mature between 332 and 356 mm TL (Ebert & Stehmann, 2013), the present A. superciliosus could be considered at least as a juvenile female. Serena (2005) noted that A. superciliosus was an occasional or rather rare species in the Mediter­ranean Sea. Conversely Clo et al. (2008) and Cor-sini-Foka & Sioulas (2009) considered the species abundant in some areas. De Maddalena & Baensch (2005) noted that the recent findings of A. superci­liosus indicate that the shark occurs in the Mediter­ranean and is rather abundant in the eastern Basin, where a viable population appears to be progressi­vely establishing (Kabasakal et al., 2011). However, no nursery grounds for A. superciliosus were clearly observed anywhere in the Mediterranean Sea, and some traits of its reproductive biology are locally still unknown. The status of the species in some Mediterranean areas remains questionable, due to fact that it is also noted as endangered (Walls & Soldo, 2016). Additionally, it is facing interspecific competition pressure from its closely sympatric species, thresh- Tab. 1: Detailed records of specimens of Alopias superciliosus caught in Turkish waters. Tab. 1: Podrobni zapisi o primerkih velikooke morske lisice, ujetih v turških vodah. Record Date Area Depth (m) TL (cm) Fishing gear References 1 ? /04/2005 Marmaris, Aegean Sea ? ? ? Clo et al. (2009) 2 23/ 05/2005 Gökova Bay, Aegean Sea ? 350 ? Kabasakal (unpub. data) 3 21/05/2006 Sivrice, Aegean Sea 100 400 gill net Kabasakal et al. (2011) 4 23/02/2007 Silivri, Sea of Marmara ? 450 purse-seine Kabasakal & Karhan (2007) 5 28/02/2011 Fethiye, Aegean Sea 110 450 trammel net Kabasakal et al. (2011) 6 02/07/2011 Silivri, Sea of Marmara ? 250 purse-seine Kabasakal et al. (2011) 7 23/09/2012 Fethiye, Aegean Sea 1100 150 longline This study 8 15/04/2015 Antalya, NE Mediterranean 500 ? ? Soldo et al. (2014) 9 05/05/2015 Antalya, NE Mediterranean 500 ? trawl Soldo et al. (2014) er shark Alopias vulpinus (Bonnaterre, 1788), which is locally somewhat more abundant. The best example of such competition is probably the Maghreb shore, where A. superciliosus does not oc­cur and A. vulpinus is commonly caught (Hemida, 2005; Hemida 2019; pers. comm., Rafrafi-Nouira et al., 2019). The first Mediterranean records of A. super-ciliosus occurred during 1952-1954 according to Corsini-Forkas & Sioulas (2009), with 40 other re­cords reported since (Lanterni et al., 2017). The first reports on the species came from the western Basin, suggesting a migration of A. superciliosus from the eastern tropical Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea through the Strait of Gibraltar. It appears that most of the subsequent records of A. superciliosus reported by Lanterni et al. (2017) occurred in the eastern areas, therefore a migration of the species toward these areas remains a valid hypothesis. A. superciliosus is known throughout the Indian Ocean, where viable populations are successfully established (Bass et al., 1975; Das et al., 2016). Al­though it is not recorded in the Red Sea (Golani & Fricke, 2005), a migration of the species into the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal cannot be totally ruled out. It is evident that A. superciliosus does not originate from the Mediterranean Sea; rather, it is a vagrant species – a Herculean migrant (sensu Quignard & Tomasini, 2001) or a Lessepsian migrant (sensu Por, 1978), or having perhaps both origins. Similar patterns were also reported for the milk shark Rhizoprionodon acutus (Rüppell, 19837) by Ben Amor et al. (2016). Consequently, the origin of A. su­perciliosus in the Mediterranean could and should be determined using molecular tools. Still, whatever the origin of A. superciliosus, the latter should be defined as an alien species among the fish species known to date in this sea (see Golani et al., 2017). ULOV VELIKOOKE MORSKE LISICE ALOPIAS SUPERCILIOSUS (ALOPIIDAE) V TURŠKIH VODAH (VZHODNO SREDOZEMSKO MORJE) Okan AKYOL & Tevfik CEYHAN Ege University, Faculty of Fisheries, 35440, Urla, Izmir, Turkey Christian CAPAPÉ Laboratoire d’Ichtyologie, Université de Montpellier, case 104, 34095 Montpellier cedex 5, France e-mail: capape@univ-montp2.fr POVZETEK Avtorji poročajo o novem primeru pojavljanja velikooke morske lisice, Alopias superciliosus (Lowe, 1839). Do danes je bilo v turških vodah potrjenih 9 zapisov o pojavljanju te vrste, na podlagi katerih bi lahko sklepali, da se je viabilna populacija te vrste uspela ustaliti v obravnavanem območju, čeprav bi to hipotezo zanesljivo potrdili novi podatki. Avtorji razpravljajo o razširjenosti vrste v Sredozemskem morju, na podlagi katerih menijo, da vrsta ne do-muje v njem, ampak je vanj najverjetneje zašla kot selivka iz vzhodnega tropskega Atlantika ali iz Indijskega oceana. Ključne vrste: Chondrichthyes, Alopiidae, razširjenost, populacija, selitev REFERENCES Bass, A.J., J.D. D’Aubrey & N. Kistnasamy (1975): Sharks of the east coast of southern Africa. IV. The families Odontaspididae, Scaphanorhynchidae, Isu­ridae, Cetorhinidae, Alopiidae, Orectolobidae and Rhiniodontidae. Oceanogr. Res. Inst. (Durban) Invest. Rep. No. 39, 102 pp. Ben Amor, M.M., Y. Diatta, M. Diop, M. Ben Sa­lem & C. Capapé (2016): Confirmed occurrence in the Mediterranean Sea of milk shark Rhizoprionodon acutus (Chondrichthyes: Carcharhinidae) and first record off the Tunisian coast. Cah. Biol. Mar., 57(2), 145-149. Cigala Fulgosi, F. (1983): First record of Alopias superciliosus (Lowe, 1839) in the Mediterranean, with some notes on some fossil species of the genus Alopias. Ann. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Genova, 84, 211-229. Clo, S., R. Bonfil & E. De Sabata (2008): Additio­nal records of the bigeye thresher shark, Alopias su­perciliosus (Lowe, 1839), from the central and eastern Mediterranean Sea. JMBA2. Biodiv. Rec., 6168. http: //www.mba.ac.uk/jmba/jmba2biodiversityrecords. php Compagno, L.J.V. (1984): FAO Species Catalogue, vol. 4, Sharks of the World. An Annotated and Illustra­ted Catalogue of Shark Species known to Date. FAO Fisheries Synopsis, 125, vol. 4, part 1 (non carcharhi­noids), viii+1–250 pp. Corsini-Foka, M. & A. Sioulas (2009): On two old specimens of Alopias superciliosus (Chondrichthyes : Alo­piidae) from the Aegean waters. Mar. Biodiv. Rec., 2, e72. Das, P., M.K. Sinha, A.K. Baregama, P. Singh, K. C. Sahu & K. S. Mali (2016): A report on the recriutments of Alopias pelagicus and Alopias superciliosus in the Ardaman Sea. J. Aquac. Mar. Biol., 4(6). DOI: 10.15406/ jamb.2016.04.00099 De Maddalena, A. & H. Baensch (2005): Haie im Mittelmeer. Frackh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH &Co., Stut­tgart, 240 pp. Ebert, D. A. & M.F.W. Stehmann (2013): Sharks batoids and Chimaeras of the North Atlantic. FAO species Catalogue for Fisheries Purposes, n° 7, Rome, FAO, 523 pp. Fernandez-Carvalho, J., R. Coelho, K. Erzini & M. Nevs Santos (2011): Age and growth of the bigeye thresher shark, Alopias superciliosus, from the pelagic longline fisheries in the tropical northeastern Atlantic Ocean, determined by vertebral band counts. Aquat. Liv. Res., 24(4), 359–368. Golani, D. & R. Fricke (2005): Check-list of the Red Sea fishes with delineation of the Gulf of Suez, Gulf of Aqaba, endemism and lessepsian migrants. Zootaxa, 4509, 1-215. Golani, D., L. Orsi-Relini., E. Massuti, J.-P. Quignard, J. Dulcic & E. Azzurro (2017): CIESM Atlas of Exotic Fishes in the Mediterranean Sea : alien fishes, invasive fishes. World Wide Web electronic publication. http//www.ciesm.org/ atlas/appendix1.html, version 01/2017. Gruber, S.H. & L.V.J. Compagno (1981): Taxonomic status and biology of the bigeye thresher shark Alopias su­perciliosus (Lowe, 1839). Fishery Bulletin, National Marine Fisheries Service, 79, 617-640. Hemida, F. (2005): Les Sélaciens de la côte algérienne: biosystématique des requins et des raies; écologie, repro­duction et exploitation de quelques especes capturées. PhD Thesis, Université des Sciences et de la Technologie, Houari Boumédiene, Algiers, Algeria, 390 pp. Kabasakal, H. & S.Ü. Karhan (2007): On the occur­rence of the bigeye thresher shark Alopias superciliosus (Lowe, 1839) in Turkish waters. JMBA2, Biodiv. Rec., 5745, http//wwwmba.ac.uk:jmba2biodiversityrecords. php Kabasakal, H., C. Dalyan & A. Yurtsever (2011): Additional records of the bigeye thresher shark Alopias superciliosus (Lowe, 1839) (Chondrichthyes: Lamnifor-mes: Alopiidae) from Turkish waters. Annales, Ser. Hist. Nat., 21(2), 143-148. Lanteri, L., L. Castellano & F. Garibaldi (2017): New records of Alopias superciliosus (Lowe, 1841) in the north-western Mediterranean and annotated review of the Mediteranean records. Acta Adriat., 58(2), 313­324. Moreno, J.A. & J. Morón (1992): Reproductive bio­logy of the bigeye thresher shark, Alopias superciliosus (Lowe, 1939). Austral. J. Mar. Freshwater Res., 43(1), 77–86. Por, F.D. (1978): Lessepsian migration. Ecological studies 23. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, New-York, 228 pp. Quéro, J.C. (1984): Alopiidae. In: P.J.P. Whitehead, M.L. Bauchot, J.C. Hureau., J. Nielsen J.& Tortonese. E. (Editors), pp. 91-92. Fishes of the North-western Atlantic and the Mediterranean, Vol I, UNESCO, Paris. Quignard, J.-P. & J.A. Tomasini (2000): Mediterra­nean fish biodiversity. Biol. Mar. Medit, 7, 1-66. Rafrafi-Nouira, S., Y. Diatta, A. Diaby A. & C. Capapé (2019): Additional records of rare sharks from northern Tunisia (central Mediterranean Sea). Annales, Ser. Hist. Nat., 29(1), 25-34. Serena, F. (2005): Field identification guide to the sharks and rays of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes, FAO, Rome, 87 pp. Soldo, A., F. Briand & K. Rassoulzadegan (2014): CIESM Forum – In search of rare shark species. http:// ciesm.org/forums/Sharks.html Electronic version accessed on 03 April 2020. Walls, R.H.L. & A. Soldo (2016.): Alopias supercili­osus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T161696A16527729.Downloaded on 10 April 2020. IHTIOLOGIJA ITTIOLOGIA ICHTHYOLOGY received: 2020-04-20 DOI 10.19233/ASHN.2020.06 A RECORD OF RARE SPINY BUTTERFLY RAY, GYMNURA ALTAVELA (LINNAEUS, 1758), IN THE AMVRAKIKOS GULF (GREECE) Saul CIRIACO, Marco SEGARICH & Carlo FRANZOSINI Shoreline Soc. Coop Padriciano 99, Trieste, Italy e-mail: saul.ciriaco@shoreline.it Spiros KONSTAS Amvrakikos Gulf- Lefkada Management Agency, Aneza Artas, Greece ABSTRACT During the study of the coastal fish assemblage of the Amvrakikos Gulf with underwater visual census methods a specimen of spiny butterfly ray (Gymnura altavela) was sighted in the locality of Agios Georgios near Preveza on 12 June 2019. The specimen was observed and photographed on a sandy bottom at 9 m of depth. Key words: Gymnura altavela, critically endangered species, brackish environment, Greece SEGNALAZIONE DI UNA SPECIE RAIFORME RARA, GYMNURA ALTAVELA (LINNAEUS, 1758), NEL GOLFO DI AMVRAKIKOS (GRECIA) SINTESI Durante lo studio della comunita ittica costiera del Golfo di Amvrakikos, con metodi di censimento visivo subacqueo, un esemplare di altavela (Gymnura altavela) e stato avvistato nella localita di Agios Georgios vicino a Preveza, il 12 giugno 2019. L’esemplare e stato osservato e fotografato su un fondale sabbioso a 9 m di profondita. Parole chiave: Gymnura altavela, specie in pericolo di estinzione, ambiente salmastro, Grecia 39 INTRODUCTION The spiny butterfly ray, Gymnura altavela (Linnaeus, 1758), is a demersal batoid species present on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean (McEachran & Capapé, 1984). In the western Atlantic it occurs from southern New England to Brazil, in the eastern part from Por­tugal to Angola with the Canary Islands and Madeira included. It is also present in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, where it has been recorded more or less everywhere, but it is still considered a very rare spe­cies. It is known to inhabit shallow marine and brackish waters (Weigman, 2016). Due to its rarity in the Medi­terranean Sea it is considered a critically endangered species (Abdul Malak et al., 2011). It was reported in the central Mediterranean Sea (El Kamel et al., 2009), in the Adriatic Sea (Dulčić et al., 2003) and in many areas of the eastern Mediterranean Sea (see Özgür Özbek et al., 2016 and references therein). Recently, due to the findings of pregnant females of G. altavela carrying near-term embryos and small free-swimming specimens supposed to be neonates, Alkusairy et al. (2014) suggested that the area along the Syrian coast could be considered as a possible nursery area for G. altavela. In this contribution we would like to share the information about the sighting of a specimen of spiny butterfly ray, G. altavela, observed in the Amvrakikos Gulf (western Greece) on 12 June 2019. MATERIAL AND METHODS The selected study area was the Amvrakikos Gulf, which extends over 405 km2. It is a nearly enclosed gulf that maintains its connection with the Ionian Sea through a narrow channel. It is shallow, with a mean depth of 26 m and a maximum depth of 65 m (Rigas et al., 2003). The embayment and its wetlands were proclaimed a National Park in 2008 (Zogaris & Dussling, 2010). The Amvrakikos Gulf is characterized by a eutrophic environment and near-brackish oceanographic conditions (Zogaris & Dussling, 2010). The coastal fish assemblage in the Amvrakikos Gulf was studied with the use of non-destructive underwater visual census methods. We used 25 m long and 5 m wide strip transects in three localities. A specimen of spiny but­terfly ray was sighted on the transect in the locality of Agios Georgios near Preveza (20.802228 N; 38.957656 E) (Fig. 1) on 12 June 2019. It was observed on the sandy bottom at 9 m of depth. Photographs of the specimen were taken with a camera (Canon G7X Mk II) (Fig. 2). Fig. 2: The specimen of spiny butterfly ray photographed in the Amvrakikos Gulf, Greece, in June 2019. A – whole specimen, B – front view (Photo: S. Ciriaco). Sl. 2: Primerek skata vrste Gymnura altavela, fotografiran 12. junija 2019 v zalivu Amvrakikos, Grčija. A – cel primerek, B – sprednji del primerka (Foto: S. Ciriaco). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The specimen was easily recognized due to the peculiar shape of the disk, twice as wide as it is long. The tail is very short, only 1 of the disk length, with one or two serrated spines. The snout is short and obtuse. The dorsal part is coloured with many dark and light spots, the ventral part is white. Juvenile and younger specimens have smooths skin (Bigelow & Schroeder, 1953). This is a large-sized batoid that can attain the maximum size of 1450 mm in disk width (Capapé, 1974). The specimen of spiny butterfly ray was observed on a shallow sandy bottom. Although the visibility was low, we could estimate the disk width around 1100 mm. Also in other parts of the Mediterranean this species is associated with shallow areas (El Kamel et al., 2009). In the Gulf of Antalya, where this spe­cies is still present, the highest mean abundance and biomass values were recorded at a 25 m depth and decreasing towards deeper areas (Özgür Özbek et al., 2016). Gymnura altavela is known to be present in coastal and brackish areas, but also in euryhaline waters of lagoons (El Kamel et al., 2009) and highly eutrophic estuaries (Silva & Vianna, 2018). The area of Amvrakikos Gulf where the specimen was sighted is characterized by high eutrophication levels of pelagic compartments and a degradation of demersal ones, as already pointed out by Piroddi et al. (2016). The specimen of G. altavela was found together with three large-sized specimens of the eagle ray, Myliobatis aquila. Other myliobatid rays had been observed in the Amvrakikos Gulf previously. Zogaris & Dussling (2010) reported on a sighting of twelve specimens of the bull ray (Aetomylaeus bovinus), two of them juvenile. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This research has been funded by MAVA Founda­tion within the project on MPAs and fisheries in the Mediterranean Sea, on commission of MedPAN. Sin­cere appreciation goes to all the management body personnel; the Management body and the President Prof. Constantin Koutsikopoulos were particularly active in supporting our work providing, in coordi­nation with Mr. Dimitris Barelos, responsible of the managing body, two ornithological guides and three rangers for the support to the surveys along the coast. Authors wish to express their immense gratitude to prof. Lovrenc Lipej for his encouragement to publish the paper and for his help and support. ZAPIS O POJAVLJANJU REDKEGA SKATA VRSTE GYMNURA ALTAVELA (LINNAEUS, 1758), V ZALIVU AMVRAKIKOS (GRČIJA) Saul CIRIACO, Marco SEGARICH & Carlo FRANZOSINI Shoreline Soc. Coop Padriciano 99, Trieste, Italy e-mail: saul.ciriaco@shoreline.it Spiros KONSTAS Amvrakikos Gulf- Lefkada Management Agency, Aneza Artas, Greece POVZETEK V okviru raziskav obrežne ribje združbe v zalivu Amvrakikos so z metodo podvodnih opazovalnih cenzusov 12. junija 2019 opazili primerek skata vrste Gymnura altavela pri lokaliteti Agios Georgios blizu Preveze (Grčija). Primerek so opazovali, fotografirali in posneli na peščenem dnu na globini 9 m. Ključne besede: Gymnura altavela, kritično ogrožena vrsta, brakično okolje, Grčija REFERENCES Abdul Malak, D., S.R. Livingstone, D. Pollard, B.A. Polidoro, A. Cuttelod, M. Bariche, M. Bilecenoglu, K.E. Car­penter, B.B. Collette, P. Francour, M. Goren, M.H. Kara, C. Massutí, L. Papaconstantinou & L. Tunesi (2011): Overview of the conservation status of the marine fishes of the Mediter­ranean Sea. International Union for Conservation of Nature, Gland, Switzerland & Malaga, Spain, 68 pp. Alkusairy, H., A. Malek, A. Saad, C. Reynaud & C. Capapé (2014): Maturity, reproductive cycle, and fecundity of spiny butterfly ray, Gymnura altavela (Elasmobranchii: Rajiformes: Gymnuridae), from the coast of Syria (eastern Mediterra­nean). Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria, 44(3), 229–240. Bigelow, H.B. & W.C. Schroeder (1953): Sawfishes, guitarfishes, skates and rays, and chimaeroids. In: Tee-Van J., Breder C.M., Hildebrand S.F., Parr A.E., Schroeder W.C., Schultz L.P. (eds.) Fishes of the Western North Atlantic. Mem­oirs of the Sears Foundation for Marine Research. Part 2, Yale University, New Haven CT, USA, 588 pp. Capapé, C. (1974) Premieres données sur le cycle de la reproduction de Dasyatis centroura (Mitchill, 1815) et de Gymnura altavela (Linne, 1758) des côtes tunisiennes. Archives de l’Institut Pasteur de Tunis, 51, 345-356. Dulčić, J., I. Jardas, V. Onofri & J. Bolotin (2003): The roughtail stingray Dasyatis centroura (Pisces: Dasyatidae) and spiny butterfly ray Gymnura altavela (Pisces: Gymnuridae) from the southern Adriatic. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 83, 871-872. El Kamel, O., N. Mnasri, J.B. Souissi, M. Boumaiza, M.M.B. Amor & C. Capapé (2009): Inventory of elasmo-branch species caught in the Lagoon of Bizerte (North-eastern Tunisia, central Mediterranean). Pan-American Journal of Aquatic Sciences, 4, 383-412. McEachran J.D. & C. Capapé (1984): Gymnuridae. In: Whitehead P.J.P., Bauchot, M.L., Hureau J.C., Nielsen J., Tortonese. E. (eds.) Fishes of the North-western Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Vol. 2. UNESCO, Paris, pp. 203–204. Özgür Özbek, E., M. Çardak & T. Kebapçioglu (2016): Spatio-temporal patterns of abundance, biomass and length-weight relationships of Gymnura altavela (Linnaeus, 1758) (Pisces: Gymnuridae) in the Gulf of Antalya, Turkey (Levantine Sea). J. Black Sea/Mediterranean Environment, 22(1), 16-34. Piroddi, C., D.K. Moutopoulos, J. Gonzalvo & S. Libralato (2016): Ecosystem health of a Mediterranean semi-enclosed embayment (Amvrakikos Gulf, Greece): Assessing changes using a modeling approach.” Continental Shelf Research, 121, 61-73. Rigas, Y., N. Petrou & S. Zogaris (2003): Amvrakikos nowhere else on earth. EU & Hellenic Ministry of the Envi­ronment and physical planning, 101 pp. Silva, F.G. & M. Vianna (2018): Diet and reproductive aspects of the endangered butterfly ray Gymnura altavela raising the discussion of a possible nursery area in a highly impacted environment. Brazilian Journal of Oceanography, 66(3), 315-324. Weigmann, S. (2016): Annotaded checklist of the living sharks, batoids and chimaeras (Chondrichthyes) of the world, with a focus on biogeographical diversity. Journal of Fish Biology, 88, 837-1037. Zogaris, S. & U. 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Mediterranean Marine Science, 11(1), 177-184. received: 2020-02-05 DOI 10.19233/ASHN.2020.07 SPAWNING PERIOD, SIZE AT FIRST SEXUAL MATURITY AND SEX RATIO OF THE ATLANTIC HORSE MACKEREL TRACHURUS TRACHURUS FROM BÉNI-SAF BAY (WESTERN COAST OF ALGERIA, SOUTHWESTERN MEDITERRANEAN SEA) Khaled RAHMANI & Fatiha KOUDACHE University Djillali Liabes, Ecodeveloppement of spaces Laboratory, Sidi Bel Abbes 22000, Algeria e-mail: khaled46310@gmail.com Nasr Eddine Riad MOUEDDEN University center Belhadj Bouchaib of Ain Temouchent, 46300, Algeria Lotfi BENSAHLA TALET University Oran 1 Ahmed Benbella, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Life, 31000 Oran, Algeria Roger FLOWER Department of Geography, University College London, Pearson Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK ABSTRACT Reproduction characteristics of the Atlantic horse mackerel, Trachurus trachurus (Linnaeus, 1758), from Béni-Saf Bay were investigated. A total of 355 specimens were sampled between November 2015 and October 2017, comprising 47.04 % males, 44.79 % females and 8.17 % undetermined. The length of individuals ranged between 7.2 and 35.4 cm, and the weight from 5.28 to 312.7g. The length at first sexual maturity was evaluated at 15.6 cm for males and 14.9 cm for females. Variations in gonado-somatic index (GSI) showed that gonads of both sexes started to develop in late February and reached sexual maturity in May-June, which marks the spawning period of the species. T. trachurus from Béni-Saf Bay uses nutritional reserves mainly accumulated in spring to develop their sexual products for spawning in early summer. Key words: Atlantic horse mackerel, Trachurus trachurus, reproduction, Béni-Saf Bay, Algeria PERIODO DI RIPRODUZIONE, DIMENSIONE ALLA PRIMA MATURITA SESSUALE E RAPPORTO TRA SESSI NEL SUGARELLO TRACHURUS TRACHURUS NELLA BAIA DI BÉNI-SAF (COSTA OCCIDENTALE ALGERINA, MEDITERRANEO SUD-OCCIDENTALE) SINTESI Gli autori hanno studiato le caratteristiche della riproduzione del sugarello, Trachurus trachurus (Linnaeus, 1758), proveniente dalla baia di Béni-Saf. Un totale di 355 individui sono stati campionati tra novembre 2015 e ottobre 2017, con il 47,04 % di maschi, il 44,79 % di femmine e l’8,17 % di indeterminati. La lunghezza degli individui variava da 7,2 a 35,4 cm, e il peso da 5,28 a 312,7 g. La lunghezza alla prima maturita sessuale e stata valutata a 15,6 cm per i maschi e 14,9 cm per le femmine. Le variazioni dell’indice gonado-somatico (GSI) hanno mostrato che le gonadi di entrambi i sessi hanno iniziato a svilupparsi a fine febbraio e hanno raggiunto la maturita sessuale a maggio-giugno, il che evidenzia il periodo di riproduzione della specie. I sugarelli della baia di Béni-Saf utilizzano le riserve nutrizionali accumulate principalmente in primavera per sviluppare i loro organi sessuali per la deposizione delle uova all’inizio dell’estate. Parole chiave: sugarello, Trachurus trachurus, riproduzione, baia di Béni-Saf, Algeria 43 INTRODUCTION The Atlantic horse mackerel, Trachurus trachu­rus (Linnaeus, 1758), is a gregarious species of the Carangidae family. It can be found in circa-littoral bottoms and even in the higher horizon of the bath-yal zone (Athanassios & Konstantinos, 2015). This species is common in shallow coastal waters off the north-eastern Atlantic, from Iceland to the Islands of Cape Verde. It is also found in the Mediterranean, the sea of Marmara and more rarely in the Black Sea (Polonsky, 1969; Arneri, 1983), in the Eastern Channel and the North Sea. T. trachurus is a migra­tory species; it lives and hunts in shoals. Usually, it migrates towards the coasts in summer and returns to offshore waters in winter; it can be found close to the bottom where it can live between 50 and 400 m depth with a capacity to adapt to brackish water (Santic et al., 2003). In the Mediterranean Basin T. trachurus is very common (Fezzani et al., 2006), liv­ing in open water and near sandy bottoms; it feeds primarily on fish such as gobies, anchovy, sardine and only on certain shellfish (Ameri, 1983; Kerstan, 1985). The study of the reproductive activity through the analysis of certain parameters such as variation of some biological indexes can help us better char­acterize the reproduction cycle by indicating the spawning period and the strategy of these fish. Several works have dealt with T. trachurus (Polonsky, 1969; Sedletskaya, 1971; Macer, 1974; Arneri, 1983; Ar-ruda, 1984; Kerstan, 1985; Korichi,1988; Eaton,1989; Hecht,1990; Ben Salem & Ktari, 1994; Abaunza et al., 1995; Kerstan,1995; Karlou-Riga & Economidis, 1996, 1997; Viette et al.,1997; Fezzani et al., 2002; Abaunza et al., 2003; Šantić et al., 2008; Tahari, 2011; Aydin & Karadurmuş, 2012; Carbonara et al.,2012; Wahbi et al., 2015; Aydin & Erdogan, 2018; Gherram et al., 2018; Azzouz et al., 2019; Ferreri et al., 2019). The present paper focuses on the reproductive biol­ogy of T. trachurus of Béni-Saf Bay, with an emphasis on the reproduction period and the size at first sexual maturity to complete gaps in the life cycle of this carangid species and to better manage this resource in this Mediterranean area. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 355 specimens of Trachurus trachurus were collected from Béni-Saf fishery, fished by trawlers operating between 30-130 m depth, from November 2015 to October 2016 (Fig. 1). For each individual, to­tal length (TL) was measured to the nearest millimetre, total weight (TW) and gonads weighed to the nearest 0.01 g. Fish lengths were classified in 1 cm group inter­vals (Fig. 2), and sex was determined macroscopically based on the morphology and the colour of the gonads (Mahdi et al., 2018). Sex ratio Sex ratio is defined as being the proportion of the male or female individuals compared to the total num­ber of individuals. It also gives an idea regarding the balance of the sexes within the population. The sex ratio generally relates the rate of femininity or mascu­linity of the population: SR = F / (M + F) x 100 F= number of females, M = number of males. Gonado-somatic index (GSI) In order to understand the sexual cycle and determine the spawning period the gonado-somatic index (GSI) was calculated monthly for both females and males, according to the equation below. The description of the reproductive cycle of this species and the determination of the spawning period were figured by tracking the monthly variations of this index. GSI = GW / TW × 100 (Ferreri et al., 2019) GW: gonads weight in g, RESULTS Sex ratio In total, 355 specimens of Trachurus trachurus were collected, 167 males (47.04 %), 159 females (44.79 %) and 29 unsexed (8.17 %). The length frequency distribution of the entire population is shown in (Fig. 2). Male length range was 12 to 33.5 cm; female length range was 8.8 to 35.4 cm. Male weight varied from 14.36 to 292.83 g and female weight varied from 5.28 to 312.78 g. TW: total weight in g. Coefficient of condition The coefficient of condition K is defined by the relationship between the weight and the size of fish according to the equation: K = × 1000 (Crim et al., 1990; Ferreri et al., 2019) TW: total weight, TL: total length. Size at first sexual maturity The size at first sexual maturity (Lm 50 %), which corresponds to the length at which 50 % of the individuals are mature, was calculated for our specimens. When considered ripe, the gonads oc­cupy, or almost so, the totality of the visceral cavity. For males, the testes are milky white; for the females, the ovaries are bulky and pink, with oocytes visible through the ovary walls. For each size class (1 cm) previously defined, we counted mature individu­als on one hand and immature individuals on the other. Consequently, we determined the relative proportions of each group in relation to the total size of each size class. We determined the values corresponding to the sizes at first maturity from an equation (1) whose curve is sigmoid: P = (1) (Wahbi et al., 2015) (1) Of the 355 individuals sampled sex ratio was in favour of males 1:0.95 and the .2 test did not reveal any significant difference (p<0.05). In addition, the variations of sex ratio according to the size (Fig. 3), revealed by khi2 test significant differences in favour of females for length classes between 9.5 to 11 cm of TL (.2=11 > .2=3.84); beyond 16.5 cm of total length, t ,0.05 males have the advantage but without significance (khi2). Beyond 34.5 cm of TL females are dominant. Males Females 100% 75% P: proportion of mature individuals, TL: total length in cm, Frequency (%) 50% 25% The constants a and b are determined by the method of least squares transforming the equation (1) 0% DJFMAMJ JASON into linear type: Months Ln ( ) = b + aL (2) Fig. 4: Monthly evolution of sex ratio of Trachurus trachurus. Sl. 4: Delež spolov pri primerkih navadnega šnjura po mesecih. Monthly variations of sex ratio (Fig. 4) reveal that females dominate during the months of November, October, December, January, March and July. Males outnumbered females during April, May, December, June and September, with numerical equality in August and February. Males Females 100% 75% Frequency (%) 50% 25% this index varied between 0.47 and 5.69 for females and between 0.37 and 4.98 for males. From February, this index increases for both sexes to attain a maximum in June, after which values begin to gradually decrease until they reach their lowest value in October for males and females. Males Females 6 Gonadosomatic index GSI % 5 4 3 2 1 0% DJ FMAMJ JASON Months Fig. 4: Monthly evolution of sex ratio of Trachurus trachurus. Sl. 4: Delež spolov pri primerkih navadnega šnjura po mesecih. Evolution of sex ratio related to seasons (Fig. 5) showed that females outnumbered males during the autumn-winter period, while males outnumbered females during the spring-summer period (.2=5.54 > .2=3.84) corresponding to the spawning period of t ,0.05 T.trachurus in Béni-Saf Bay. 0 NDJFMAMJ JASO Months Fig. 6: Monthly evolution of gonado-somatic index for males and females of Trachurus trachurus. Sl. 6: Gonadosomatčni indeks pri samicah navadnega šnjura po mesecih. Gonado-somatic index related to size classes To investigate the role of small specimens and their contribution to the renewal of the resource we linked GSI to the total length of individuals (Fig. 7) and it was estab­lished that GSI increased simultaneously with length. For males, we recorded a maximum GSI at 5.94, 100% Males Females Frequency (%) 75% 50% 25% 0% winter spring Season summer autumn Fig. 5: Evolution of sex ratio of Trachurus trachurus by seasons. Sl. 5: Delež spolov pri primerkih navadnega šnjura po sezonah. Gonado-somatic index (GSI)¶ corresponding to a size 26.5 cm TL, and a minimum of GSI with 12.5 cm TL. For females, the GSI maximum value was recorded at 4.89 corresponding to a size of 22.5 cm TL, while the GSI minimum was recorded for a size of 13.5 cm TL. Fig. 7: Evolution of gonado-somatic index related to total The monthly changes of the gonado-somatic index length of males and females of Trachurus trachurus. (GSI) allowed the determination of the spawning period Sl. 7: Gonadosomatčni indeks pri navadnem šnjuru glede during an annual cycle (Fig. 6); the monthly values of na celotno dolžino samcev in samic. Condition factor K whereas 50% of males attained this proportion at 15.6 cm TL. Evolution of the condition factor coefficient K seems to be closely related to the gonado-somatic ratio GSI, but the two indices tended to be inversely proportional. In fact, during the spawning period, the condition factor of the specimens is recorded at its lowest values (7.05) and in rest period the same factor records its highest values (8.54). The maturation of the sexual products and their emissions requires relatively high energy expenditure, and as a consequence the fish weight during spawning period is reduced (Figs. 8 and 9), corresponding to a reduction in condition factor of ~14 and 20 % for males and females, respectively. K Males K Females 0.09 Condition factor K 0.08 0.07 0.06 Sl. 10: Dolžina, pri kateri samci in samice navadnega šnjura dosežejo spolno zrelost. DISCUSSION NDJFMAMJ JASO The sex ratio is slightly in favour of the males. The Months evolution of this index does not have phrenological regularity and is close to 1 for the March-June period, Fig. 8: Annual evolution of condition factor K of Trachurus trachurus males and females. whereas females dominate in July. The Atlantic mack- Sl. 8: Letna dinamika kondicijskega faktorja K pri samcih in erel is a pelagic fish living in dense fish benches. It samicah navadnega šnjura. Condition factor K K males K Females 0.09 0.09 0.08 0.08 0.07 0.07 Winter Spring Summer Autumn Season is possible that certain fish populations are predomi­ nantly males or females. According to Carbonara et al. (2012) and Wahbi et al. (2015) fluctuations of the sex ratio are due to ethologic phenomena (stray species, demographic segregations) responsible for the over-dispersion and segregated distribution of the sexes. The difficulty in interpreting the fluctuations of this ratio is due to several factors, such as the behaviour of the species, the spawning period and mortality, sam­pling procedure, aggregation of the of the same sex individuals, etc. The change in weight of the ovaries and the testes during the cycle of maturation shows that the gonads develop at stage II, increased at stage III then regress at stage IV. The weight of the testes is higher than that of the ovaries during this last phase; this could indicate intense expulsion of the sexual Fig. 9: Seasonal evolution of condition factor K of Trachurus trachurus males and females. Sl. 9: Sezonska dinamika kondicijskega faktorja K pri sam­cih in samicah pri primerkih navadnega šnjura. Size at first sexual maturity The proportion of mature individuals in each size class (Fig. 10) showed that first maturity was attained at 14.9 cm TL where 50 % of the females were mature, products of females. The monthly evolution of GSI follows a similar pattern for the two sexes, the spawning starting at the beginning of February to continue until July. The period of reproduction (Tab. 1) extends from February to July with a peak in June, while in central Algerian waters (Bousmail Bay), the reproduction is during summer and at its maximum in July-August. In ccertain areas (Spain, Portugal, France and Morocco) T. trachurus has an early spawning period beginning in spring with a maximum around March and all Tab. 1: The spawning period and length at first maturity obtained for Trachurus trachurus by various authors. Tab. 1: Obdobje drstitve in dolžina, ko šnjur Trachurus trachurus doseže spolno zrelost po različnih avtorjih. Authors Area Lm50% (cm) Spawning period Polonsky, 1969 North Sea and English Channel 20 - 24 * - Sedletskaya, 1971 North Africa 16 - 23 - Macer, 1974 North Sea and English Channel 20 - 24 March to August Arneri, 1983 Adriatic 15 - 18 - Arruda, 1984 Portuguese coast Western coast 16 - 19 M 21 - 24 F November to May Matosinhos Bay April to December Southern coast Whole year Kerstan, 1985 North -East Atlantic (British water) 24.2 - 24.6 - Korichi, 1988 Algiers Bay (Bou-Ismail bay) 14.2 * - Eaton, 1989 West of the British Isles March to July Hecht, 1990 South-East coast of South Africa 32 - 33 June to November Abaunza et al., 1995 North-west of Spain Galician and Cantabrian shelf 20.9 M 21.9 F February to May Kerstan,1 995 Southwest coast of Irland 19.8 M 25 F - Northern biscary 19.4 M 24.6 F - South of biscary 19 M 25.3 F - Karlou-Riga & Economidis, 1996 Aegean Sea 22 - Karlou-Riga & Economidis, 1997 Saronikos Gulf (Greece) - December to April Viette et al.,1997 Italy Gulf of Trieste 15.6 M 16 F May to August Abaunza et al., 2003 Northwest Atlantic 16 - 25 February to August Šantić et al., 2008 Eastern Adriatic Sea - December to May Tahari, 2011 Oran Bay (Algeria) - October to March Aydin & Karadurmuş, 2012 Ordu Black Sea (Turkey) - May to August Carbonara et al., 2012 Central-Western Mediterranean Sea GSA 10 17.8 M 18.9 F GSA 18 17.8 M 18.9 F GSA 19 17.8 M 18.9 F Aydin & Erdogan, 2018 Northern Aegean Sea between (Turkey) 13 F April to August Gherram et al., 2018 Oran Bay (Algeria) 18.42 M 18.28 F January to May Azzouz et al., 2019 Gulf of Skikda (Algeria) 14 M 13.65 F December-April Ferreri et al., 2019 Central Mediterranean Sea: Strait of Sicily: Tyrrhenian Sea 16.1 17.6 - Present study Béni-Saf Bay 15.6 cm M 14.9 F February to July the authors attribute this to the temperature of the medium. An increase in the temperatures beyond 11 °C conditions the development of the eggs (Villamor et al., 1997; Wahbi et al., 2015). Our study shows that Trachurus trachurus females reached their sexual maturity at 14.9 cm, earlier than males, which attain this maturity at 15.6 cm TL. To indicate the importance of our results regarding size at first sexual maturity (Lm 50%), the comparative study sets out with different research groups (Tab. 1). Firstly, it is clear that our (Lm 50%) value was much higher than those reported by Aydin & Erdogan (2018, Northern Aegean Sea near Turkey) and Azzouz et al. (2019, Gulf of Skikda, Algeria). On the other hand, the obtained (Lm 50%) value comported fairly well with Viette et al. (1997, Italy, Gulf of Trieste), Arneri (1983, Algeria; 1983, Adriatic), and Korichi (1988, Algiers Bay). We found no significant differences compared with research groups of Arruda (1984, Portuguese coast), Abaunza et al. (2003, Northwest Atlantic) and Ferreri et al. (2019, central Mediterranean Sea), etc. (see Tab. 1). T. trachurus from Béni-Saf Bay reaches sexual ma­turity at an earlier size, and this suggests that the fish has changed its sexuality strategy to ensure its sustain­ability. The species changes the size of its first sexual maturity and reproduces very early. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors are grateful to coast guards of Béni-Saf for their precious help and also grateful to the review­ers who improved the manuscript with their helpful advices and directives. OBDOBJE DRSTENJA, SPOLNA ZRELOST IN SPOLNI DELEŽ ŠNJUROV TRACHURUS TRACHURUS IZ ZALIVA BÉNI-SAF BAY (ZAHODNA OBALA ALŽIRIJE, JUGOZAHODNO SREDOZEMSKO MORJE) Khaled RAHMANI & Fatiha KOUDACHE University Djillali Liabes, Ecodeveloppement of spaces Laboratory, Sidi Bel Abbes 22000, Algeria e-mail: khaled46310@gmail.com Nasr Eddine Riad MOUEDDEN University center Belhadj Bouchaib of Ain Temouchent, 46300, Algeria Lotfi BENSAHLA TALET University Oran 1 Ahmed Benbella, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Life, 31000 Oran, Algeria Roger FLOWER Department of Geography, University College London, Pearson Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK POVZETEK Avtorji so raziskovali razmnoževalne posebnosti pri navadnem šnjuru, Trachurus trachurus (Linnaeus, 1758), iz zaliva Béni-Saf. V obdobju med novembrom 2015 in oktobrom 2017 so analizirali skupno 355 primerkov, od katerih je bilo 47,04 % samcev, 44,79 % samic in 8,17 % nedoločenih primerkov. Šnjuri so merili med 7,2 in 35,4 cm v dolžino in tehtali od 5,28 do 312,7 g. Spolno zreli samci so merili v dolžino 15,6 cm, spolno zrele samice pa so dosegle 14,9 cm v dolžino. Spremembe v gonadosomatskem indeksu (GSI) so pokazale, da se gonade pri obeh spolih pričnejo razvijati konec februarja, spolno dozorijo pa v maju in juniju, kar opredeljuje obdobje drstenja pri vrsti. Primerki T. trachurus iz zaliva Béni-Saf porabljajo prehranske rezerve, pridobljene spomladi, za razvoj spolnih produktov za zgodnje poletni drst. Ključne besede: navadni šnjur, Trachurus trachurus, razmnoževanje, Béni-Saf Bay, Alžirija REFERENCES Abaunza, P., L. Gordo, C. Karlou-Riga, A. Murta, A.T.G.W. Eltink, M.G. Santamaría & J. Molloy (2003): Growth and reproduction of horse mack­erel, Trachurus trachurus (Carangidae) Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 13(1), 27-61, https://doi. org/10.1023/A:1026334532390. Abaunza, P., A.C. Farina & P. 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Cybium, 39(2), 131-142. received: 2020-01-16 DOI 10.19233/ASHN.2020.08 ON THE OCCURRENCE OF PSEUDOCARANX DENTEX (CARANGIDAE) IN THE TURKISH AEGEAN SEA (EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN SEA) Inci TÜNEY-KIZILKAYA Ege University Faculty of Science, 35100 Bornova, Izmir, Turkey Okan AKYOL & Aytaç ÖZGÜL Ege University Faculty of Fisheries, 35440 Urla, Izmir, Turkey e-mail: okan.akyol@ege.edu.tr ABSTRACT This paper aims to complement and update the data regarding the distribution of uncommon Pseudocaranx dentex throughout the Mediterranean Sea; specifically by revealing the extension of its distribution in the eastern Mediterranean Sea concerning its habitat preference, such as FADs, sea-cage fish farms, and reefs. A total of 86 specimens of P. dentex were observed and one specimen was caught during the period of 2009-2019 from the Aegean Sea. These represent the first well-documented records of P. dentex along the south-eastern coast of the Aegean Sea. Their length ranged from 10 to 70.2 cm in TL. Furthermore, the largest P. dentex (702 mm TL) found in the Mediterranean so far was recorded during this study. Key words: White trevally, FADs, sea-cages, size, habitat PRESENZA DI PSEUDOCARANX DENTEX (CARANGIDAE) NEL MAR EGEO DELLA TURCHIA (MEDITERRANEO ORIENTALE) SINTESI L’articolo ha lo scopo di integrare e aggiornare i dati relativi alla distribuzione nel mare Mediterraneo del carango, Pseudocaranx dentex, specie non comune, rivelando l’estensione della sua distribuzione nel Medi­terraneo orientale e considerando le sue preferenze di habitat, come i dispositivi di aggregazione dei pesci (FAD), gli allevamenti ittici in gabbia e le scogliere. In totale sono stati osservati 86 esemplari di P. dentex, e un esemplare e stato catturato nel periodo 2009-2019 nel mar Egeo. Questi avvistamenti rappresentano i primi dati ben documentati di P. dentex lungo la costa sud-orientale dell’Egeo. La lunghezza degli esemplari variava da 10 a 70,2 cm in lunghezza totale (TL). L’esemplare piu grande di P. dentex (702 mm TL) trovato finora nel Mediterraneo, e stato avvistato durante questo studio. Parole chiave: carango, FAD, gabbie d’allevamento, dimensioni, habitat 53 INTRODUCTION White trevally, Pseudocaranx dentex (Bloch and Schneider, 1801), is a pelagic and reef-associated species which prefers rocky, hard bottom habitats in tropical (40oN - 47oS) seas (Froese & Pauly, 2019). They are generally schooling species but often swim in small groups or solitary at depths from 5 to 238 meters, and they feed on zooplankton and benthic invertebrates (Golani et al., 2006; Bariche, 2012; Froese & Pauly, 2019). Juveniles, in particular, usually inhabit estuaries and shallow waters. Adults form schools and are often associated with rocky bottoms on the continental shelf (Tiralongo, 2018). The common length is 40 cm TL, and the reported maximum length and weight were 122 cm TL and 18.1 kg (Froese & Pauly, 2019). P. dentex is cosmopolite in tropical and subtropical seas (Golani et al., 2006). In the Mediterranean Sea, P. dentex is an uncommon carangid species (Smith-Vaniz, 1986; Bariche, 2012; Tiralongo et al., 2018). The present paper aims to report on the presence of P. dentex throughout the Mediterranean Sea in order to ex­tend the information about its distribution in the eastern Mediterranean Sea concerning its habitat preference, such as Fish Aggregation Devices (FADs), sea-cage fish farms, and reefs. Additionally, the present paper reports the largest P. dentex (702 mm TL) recorded to date in the Mediterranean Sea. MATERIAL AND METHODS The available information about P. dentex was com­piled from underwater observations via visual census of wild fish aggregations around experimental FADs and sea-cage fish farms between 2009 and 2017 (Fig. 1A, B and Fig. 2). On August 24th 2019, a specimen of P. dentex with a total length (TL) of 702 mm (Fig. 1C) was captured by a spear fisherman in Mersincik Islet, Gökova Bay (Fig. 2) at a depth of 38 m on a rocky bottom (Coordinates: 36°46.046’ N-27°28.353’ E). This specimen was stored in a freezer. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION A total of 86 specimens (of which 36 from FADs) of P. dentex were observed and one specimen was caught in the period of 2009-2019 from the Aegean Sea. These specimens represent the first well-documented records of P. dentex in the south-eastern coastal wa­ters of the Aegean Sea. Their length ranged from 10 to 70.2 cm in TL. Diagnostic characters were identified. All details of the specimens are summarized in Ta­ble 1. The colour was greenish blue above, silvery white below, with a yellow stripe along the middle of the sides, and a large black spot on the opercula. The morphometric measurements as a percentage of total length (TL %) and the meristic counts recorded in P. dentex captured from Gökova Bay, Aegean Sea, are shown in Table 2. All measurements, counts, and colour patterns determined are in accordance with the descriptions of Smith-Vaniz (1986), Golani et al. (2006) and Froese & Pauly (2019). In the Mediterranean Sea, P. dentex has been reported on some fish checklists in the Levant Basin (Gücü & Bingel, 1994; Golani, 1996; Saad, 2005; Akel & Karachle, 2017) as well as the Cyclades archipelago (Giokoumi & Kokkoris, 2013) and the coasts of Izmir (as Caranx dentex, Geldiay, 1969). Moreover, P. dentex has been recorded in the Adriatic Sea since 1986, and one specimen of 227 mm TL was recently caught by a trammel net near Vis Island at a depth of 20 m (Dulcic et al., 2003). Also, three fish with lengths ranging from 30 to 40 cm TL have been recorded in the south-eastern coasts of Sicily between Siracusa and Avola (Tiralongo et al., 2018). P. dentex is considered an uncommon fish, and it might occasionally be caught near to shore with trammel nets or gillnets throughout the Mediterranean. Although P. dentex appears to be sporadic in the Adri­atic and Levantine Seas, it is relatively more common around the FADs and sea-cage fish farms. Afonso et al. (2008) determined that P. dentex matures at about 30 cm FL, and its spawning season occurred between June and September in the Azores. The juveniles (12-18 cm) especially preferred the FADs at depths of 50 m, whereas, in the deeper FAD area at depths of 100 m they were not observed. Namely, the juveniles preferred shoreline. On the other hand, those fish from the smallest (10 cm) to the larger (30 cm) aggregated around the sea-cage farms (see Table 1). Here, the contribution of the pellet feed must also be attractive as well as sea-cages that act like mega FADs. However, the largest specimen with 70.2 cm TL was captured with a spear gun over a rocky bottom. This was the largest size of P. dentex that had been observed throughout the Mediterranean. This mature specimen and retinue may have been in the course of reproduc­tive migration: Afonso et al. (2008) stated that offshore reefs were a preferential spawning habitat for larger P. Fig. 2: The map shows occurring sites of Pseudocaranx dentex in the Aegean Sea (.: FADs; 0: sea-cages; red star indicates the sampling location of the huge specimen). Sl. 2: Zemljevid prikazuje lokalitete, kjer se pojavlja trnobok v Egejskem morju (.: FADs; 0: ribje kletke; rdeča zvezdica označuje vzorčevalno postajo, kjer je bil opažen orjaški primerek). dentex. At the same time, the capture site was close to a sea-cage fish farm area (i.e., under Güllük Bay), so, the huge specimen had probably reached such a large size due to the high nutritional opportunity around the fish farms. In fact, P. dentex is very rare in the Aegean Sea (only 86 fish during the 17 months in 2009-2019); it is obvious that they are aggregating more where there are existing FADs and/or sea-cage farms. Furthermore, this tropical fish is becoming more abundant due to the effects of global warming in the Mediterranean marine waters (Francour et al., 1994). As indicators of warming in the marine environment, Azzurro (2008) Tab. 1: Date, location, habitat, depth, distance to land, number of specimens and size range of Pseudocaranx dentex in the Aegean Sea. (*it is caught only one sample). Tab. 1: Datumi, lokalitete, habitat, globina, oddaljenost od kopnega, število primerkov in velikostni razpon trno­bokov v Egejskem morju (* samo en primerek ulovljen). Date Coordinates Habitat Depth (m) Distance to land (m) Number TL (cm) Time of observation July 2009 38°03´11’’N-26°59´01’’E FADs 50 2037 4 14 Daytime Oct. 2009 38°03´11’’N-26°59´01’’E FADs 50 2037 2 12 Daytime Dec. 2009 38°03´11’’N-26°59´01’’E FADs 50 2037 6 12 Daytime Jan. 2010 38°03´11’’N-26°59´01’’E FADs 50 2037 3 12 Daytime Feb. 2010 38°03´11’’N-26°59´01’’E FADs 50 2037 4 14 Daytime Mar. 2010 38°03´11’’N-26°59´01’’E FADs 50 2037 5 12 Daytime Apr. 2010 38°03´11’’N-26°59´01’’E FADs 50 2037 4 15 Daytime May 2010 38°03´11’’N-26°59´01’’E FADs 50 2037 4 15 Daytime Jun. 2010 38°03´11’’N-26°59´01’’E FADs 50 2037 2 16 Daytime July 2010 38°03´11’’N-26°59´01’’E FADs 50 2037 2 18 Daytime 30 June 2016 37°10’49’’N-27°22’48’’E Sea-cage 60 1500 27 12-20 08:45 26 June 2016 37°10’49’'N-27°22’48’'E Sea-cage 60 1500 2 18 09:00 28 Oct. 2016 37°10’49’'N-27°22’48’'E Sea-cage 60 1500 5 25-30 09:30 23 Dec. 2016 37°10’49’'N-27°22’48’'E Sea-cage 60 1500 2 30 10:30 12 Apr. 2017 37°10’49’'N-27°22’48’'E Sea-cage 60 1500 8 10 10:10 15 June 2017 37°17’19’'N-27°24’02’'E Sea-cage 50 3000 2 25 10:30 24 Aug. 2019 36°46.046'N-27°28.353'E Rocky 38 550 5* 70.2 Daytime Tab. 2: Morphometric measurements as percentage of total length (TL %) and meristic counts recorded in the Pseudo-caranx dentex captured from Gökova Bay, Aegean Sea. Tab. 2: Morfometrične meritve kot odstotek celotne dolži­ne (TL %) in meristična štetja za trnoboka, ki so ga ujeli v zalivu Gökova v Egejskem morju. Measurements Size (mm) Proportion (TL%) Total length (TL) 702 Fork length (FL) 598 85.2 Standard length (SL) 568 80.9 Maximum body depth 195 27.8 Pectoral fin length 185 26.4 Pre-dorsal fin length 230 32.8 Pre-anal fin length 312 44.4 Pre-pectoral length 190 27.1 Head length 181 25.8 Eye diameter 25 3.6 Preorbitary length 79 11.3 Meristic counts 1st Dorsal fin rays VIII 2nd Dorsal fin rays I+26 Anal fin rays II+I+22 Pectoral fin rays 20 Ventral fin rays I+5 Weight (g) 4126 concluded that the thermophilic tropical and subtrop­ical fishes such as Epinephelus marginatus, Caranx crysos, Balistes capriscus, Pseudocaranx dentex, Solea senegalensis, Sphyraena spp. have extended their distribution margins by crossing their northernmost or southernmost limits in both Mediterranean and extra-Mediterranean areas. In conclusion, the Mediterranean Sea is currently becoming warmer, in a manner similar to the waters of the rest of the world (Ben Rais Lasram & Mouillot, 2009). Thus, we can expect an increasing of the rate of introduction exotic and thermophilic species to the Mediterranean. However, further studies are required on overlap between exotic/thermophilic and endemic fish fauna and on their competition. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study was financially supported by Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBI­TAK) [Project number: 107Y163 and 114Y584]. O POJAVLJANJU TRNOBOKA PSEUDOCARANX DENTEX (CARANGIDAE) V TURŠKEM EGEJSKEM MORJU (VZHODNO SREDOZEMSKO MORJE) Inci TÜNEY-KIZILKAYA Ege University Faculty of Science, 35100 Bornova, Izmir, Turkey Okan AKYOL & Aytaç ÖZGÜL Ege University Faculty of Fisheries, 35440 Urla, Izmir, Turkey, e-mail: okan.akyol@ege.edu.tr POVZETEK Avtorji želijo s prispevkom dopolniti in nadgraditi poznavanje razširjenosti trnoboka v Sredozemskem morju, še posebej z vidika razširjanja vrste v vzhodnem Sredozemskem morju in njenih habitatnih preferenc do FAD (naprav za privabljanje rib), ribjih kletk in umetnih podvodnih grebenov. V obdobju 2009-2019 so opazovali skupno 86 pri­merkov P. dentex v Egejskem morju, en primerek pa so polovili. Ta potrjuje prvi dobro evidentiran primer pojavljanja trnoboka vzdolž jugovzhodne obale Egejskega morja. Primerki so merili od 10 to 70,2 cm telesne dolžine. Poleg tega je največji primerek trnoboka (70,2 cm telesne dolžine) doslej največji zabeležen primerek v Sredozemlju. Ključne besede: trnobok, FADs, ribje kletke, velikost, habitat REFERENCES Afonso, P., J. Fontes, T. Morato, K.N. Holland & R.S. Santos (2008): Reproduction and spawning habitat of white trevally, Pseudocaranx dentex, in the Azores, central north Atlantic. Sci. Mar., 72, 373-381. Azzurro, E. (2008): The advance of thermophilic fishes in the Mediterranean Sea: overview and methodological questions. In: Climate warming and related changes in Me­diterranean marine biota. 27-31 May, Helgoland. CIESM Workshop Monographs, 35, 39-45. Akel Kh., S.H. & P.K. Karachle (2017): The marine ichthyofaunal of Egypt. Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology & Fisheries, 21, 81-116. Bariche, M. (2012): Field identification guide to the living marine resources of the Eastern and Southern Me­diterranean. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. FAO, Rome, 610 pp. Ben Rais Lasram, F. & D. Mouillot (2009): Increasing south­ern invasion enhances congruence between endemic and exotic Mediterranean fish fauna. Biol. Invasions, 11, 697-711. Dulcic, J., A. Pallaoro, V. Onofri, D. Lucic & I. Jardas (2003): New additional records of imperial blackfish, Schedophilus ovalis (Cuvier, 1833), white trevally, Pseudo-caranx dentex (Bloch and Schneider, 1801), and Atlantic pomfret, Brama brama (Bonnaterre, 1788), in the eastern Adriatic. Annales Ser. Hist. Nat., 13, 149-154. Francour, P., C.F. Boudouresque, J.G. Harmelin, M.L. Harmelin-Vivien & J.P. Quignard (1994): Are the Med­iterranean waters becoming warmer? Information from biological indicators. Mar. Pollut. Bull., 28, 523-526. Froese, R. & D. Pauly (eds.) (2019): FishBase. [version 08/2019] http:// www.fishbase.org Geldiay, R. (1969): Important fishes found in the Bay of Izmir and their possible invasions. Monography Faculty of Science, Ege University, 11: 1-135 [in Turkish.] Giakoumi, S. & G.D. Kokkoris (2013): Effects of hab­itat and substrate complexity on shallow sublittoral fish assemblages in the Cyclades Archipelago, North-eastern Mediterranean Sea. Med. Mar. Sci., 14, 58-68. Golani, D. (1996): The marine ichthyofauna of the Eastern Levant-History, inventory and characterization. Israel J. Zool., 42, 15-55. Golani, D., B. Öztürk & N. Başusta (2006): Fishes of the eastern Mediterranean. Turkish Marine Research Foun­dation (Publication No. 24), Istanbul, 260 pp. Gücü, A.C. & F. Bingel (1994): Trawlable species assemblages on the continental shelf of the north eastern Levant Sea (Mediterranean) with an emphasis on Lessep­sian migration. Acta Adriat., 35, 83-100. Saad, A. (2005): Check-list of bony fish collected from the coast of Syria. Turk. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci., 5, 99-106. Smith-Vaniz, W.F. (1986): Carangidae. In: Whitehead, P.J.P., M.-L. Bauchot, J.-C. Hureau, J. Nielsen, E. Tortonese (eds.): Fishes of the North-eastern Atlantic and the Mediter­ranean, Vol. 2. Unesco, Paris, pp. 815-844. Tiralongo, F., D. Tibullo, G. Messina & B.M. Lombardo (2018): New records of two carangid species from the south­east coast of Sicily (Ionian Sea) and considerations about their presence and abundance. Acta Adriat., 59(2), 225-230. JADRANSKA MORSKA FLORA FLORA MARINA ADRIATICA ADRIATIC MARINE FLORA received: 2019-12-10 DOI 10.19233/ASHN.2020.09 FIRST REPORT OF AN AEGAGROPILOUS FORM OF RYTIPHLAEA TINCTORIA FROM THE LAGOON OF STRUNJAN (GULF OF TRIESTE, NORTHERN ADRIATIC) Claudio BATTELLI Frane Maušič 4, 6310 Izola, Slovenia e-mail: claudio.battelli@guest.arnes.si Neža GREGORIČ Novo naselje 1d, 6276 Pobegi e-mail: neza.gregoric@gmail.com ABSTRACT The occurrence of an aegagropilous form of the red alga Rytiphlaea tinctoria in the Stjuža marine lagoon of Strunjan (Gulf of Trieste) has been reported for the first time. The distribution, mean diameter, mean density and morphological structure of this population of R. tinctoria are here described. During the study, it was observed that the ball-like form of this species differs from the attached form found on open shores, lacking a holdfast, having a radial arrangement of the branches, and a curled distal part of the branches. No reproductive structures were observed in any of the collected samples. The ball-like form of Rytiphlaea tinctoria can be considered as an ecotype. Key words: Rytiphlaea tinctoria, ball-like form, Stjuža lagoon Strunjan, northern Adriatic PRIMA SEGNALAZIONE DI RYTIPHLAEA TINCTORIA IN FORMA EGAGROPILA NELLA LAGUNA DI STRUGNANO (GOLFO DI TRIESTE, ALTO ADRIATICO) SINTESI La nota riporta alcune osservazioni su Rytiphlaea tinctoria in forma egagropila rinvenuta nella Laguna Schiusa di Strugnano (Golfo di Trieste). Vengono descritte la distribuzione, il diametro, la densita e le caratteristiche morfologiche delle forme a palla di questa specie. Lo studio comparativo tra la forma egagropila e quella fissata, non rinvenuta in Laguna, evidenzia delle differenze in quanto priva di strutture d’attacco, ramificazione radiale e ramuli distali piu aggrovigliati. Non si sono osservate alcune strutture riproduttive nei campioni raccolti. La forma egagropila presente nella laguna potrebbe essere considerata un ecotipo di R. tinctoria. Parole chiave: Rytiphlaea tinctoria, forma egagropila, laguna Schiusa Strugnano, Alto Adriatico 61 INTRODUCTION The red alga Rytiphlaea tinctoria (order Ceramiales, family Rhodomelaceae) is a perennial species and can occur in attached or unattached forms, depending on en­vironmental conditions. This alga usually grows attached on rocky substrate, often covered with a thin sandy layer in sheltered and shaded habitats of the upper infralittoral zone (Calvo & Ragonese 1982). It has been reported from Atlantic European coasts, from Great Britain, Spain and Portugal to northern Africa. It is also widespread in Medi­terranean coastal areas. In Slovenian coastal waters, the attached form of R. tinctoria has been found in Koper Bay (Avčin et al. 1974; Vukovič 1982), Strunjan Bay (Avčin et al. 1974; Turk & Vukovič, 1994) and Piran Bay (Vukovič 1980; Munda 1993). The species R. tinctoria was described by Clemente (1807) as Fucus tinctorius. It is cited in literature for the presence of a water-soluble red pigment in its plastids, called “ficoamatin” by Kützing (1843). Later, Feldman & Tixier (1947) named this pigment “floridorubin”. The type locality of this species is Castillo de Santa Catalina and Puerto de Santa Maria and Cádiz, Andalusia, Spain. The name derives from the Latin “rytis” = a wrinkle, “phloios” = cortex, referring to the transversely furrowed or striate appearance of the surface, and “tinctorius” refers to the fact that the alga was used as a source for red dye (Phillips & De Clerck 2005). Floating balls or unattached mats of R. tinctoria have been found in several locations, although reports of the ball-like form of this species are very limited. According to the available literature, this form of R. tinctoria has never before been found in the Gulf of Trieste. One of the most studied unattached, ball-like forms of this spe­cies has been reported from the Stagnone Lagoon (Sicily, Italy) by Calvo et al. (1981), Calvo & Ragonese (1982), Orestano & Calvo (1985), Mercurio et al. (2006) and Bel-lissimo & Orestano (2014). Unattached algae that grow in a more or less spherical form as free-floating balls are described by the term ae­gagropilous. This term was first used by Linnaeus (1763) as a specific name for a rolling-ball alga from the Baltic: Conferva aegagropila L., sin. of Cladophora aegagropila (L.) Rabenh., currently regarded as a synonym of Aega­gropila linnaei Kützing, published by Kützing (1843) (Calvo & Ragonese 1982). Ball-like forms are also formed by several marine species of Cladophora, as well as at least 54 other algae, including 25 red, 18 green and 11 brown algae (Norton & Mathieson, 1983). The present paper reports the occurrence of extensive ball-like aggregates of Rytiphlaea tinctoria (Clem.) C.Ag. in the Stjuža marine lagoon of Strunjan (Gulf of Trieste, northern Adriatic). It aims to provide general information on the extensive development of the mobile, free-living rolling balls of this alga observed in the Stjuža marine lagoon of Strunjan in the spring of 2019. Details on the distribution, morphology and morphological measure­ments of the ball-like form of this alga are reported. Thus, our results contribute to expanding the current knowledge on the unattached, ball-like form of algal populations in this area. The possible factors that led to the formation of the ball-like form of R. tinctoria are discussed. MATERIAL AND METHODS Study area The Strunjan Lagoon is a shallow, semi-enclosed oli­gotrophic brackish coastal lagoon situated in the eastern part of the Strunjan Bay (45° 31’ 30” North, 13° 36’ 20” East) (Fig. 1a and 1b), about approx. 10 hectares in sur­face area and divided into two sub-basins: a smaller dis­charge lagoon and the larger, main Stjuža Lagoon of the silted former fish-farming pond. Stjuža (from the Italian “chiusa”, meaning ‘closed’) is the only Slovene marine lagoon; it is not completely natural, rather the result of human activities. For about a half century, it has been an abandoned fish farm. After the construction of a dam over 400 years ago, the bay was artificially closed for the purpose of fishing; the newly created lagoon remained connected with the sea only by three tidal channels. The Stjuža Lagoon is characterized by a meadow consisting predominantly of the sea grasses Cymodocea nodosa (Ucria) Ascherson and Zostera noltei Hornemann on its margins (Vrišer 2002; Šajna & Kaligarič, 2005). Today, the lagoon area is an important part of the Strunjan Stjuža Nature Reserve, within the Natura 2000 network, the primary objective of which is to preserve biodiversity. Environmental parameters Because of its shallow depth of about 0.5–1 m, the thermal conditions in the Stjuža Lagoon range seasonally from one extreme to the other: between 5 oC and 10 oC in wintertime and between 24 oC and 27 oC during the sum­mer, while in the other seasons water temperatures are similar to the atmospheric temperatures. Salinity, oxygen content, and thermal conditions in the Stjuža Lagoon Fig. 2: Rytiphlaea tinctoria ball (a); section of R. tinctoria ball with branches radi­ally arranged around the centre (b). Sl. 2: Kroglica alge Rytiphlaea tinctoria (a); prerez kroglice alge R. tinctoria s prikazom radialno razporejenih poganjkov okoli središča (b). Fig. 3: Branch of the alga Rytiphlaea tinctoria with curled apices (a); cross section of a branch showing the axial cell surrounded by 5 pericentral cells with medul­lary cells and darkly pigmented cortex (b). Sl. 3: Stranski poganjek alge Rytiphlaea tinctoria s kaveljčastimi izrastki (a); prečni prerez poganjka prikaže osrednjo celico, 5 pericentralnih celic, medularne celice in temno pigmentirane kortikalne celice (b). are related to the large water exchange and are usually similar to those of Strunjan Bay. The lagoon receives freshwater inputs from small canals from agricultural areas (Vrišer, 2002). The average tidal amplitude is 67 cm, with high water reaching 25–45 cm above the mean sea level, and low water 15–30 cm below the mean sea level (Malačič et al., 2000). Sampling procedure and data analysis The fieldwork was carried out in the spring of 2019, when a dense aggregation of ball-like R. tinctoria was found in the Stjuža Lagoon of Strunjan. The study was conducted in separate parts of the lagoon margin on the northern, south-western and western shores. These sites were chosen because of the higher density of ball-like aggregations of this species than in the other parts of the lagoon. The substrate of the entire research area is a soft sediment composed of compact-fine argillaceous silt with a slight admixture of sand, with a thin (0.5–1 cm) yellowish brown layer of flocculent organic detritus (Vrišer, 2002). The algal material collected was carefully sorted and examined using a stereoscope, while a light microscope was used to check for the presence of reproductive structures. The anatomical observations were based on fresh material. Sections were cut by hand with a single-edged razor blade and photographed in the laboratory of the Natural History Museum of Trieste (Italy) using a microscope Leica MZ16 with camera Leica mc190 HD. All the specimens were identified at a species level, while taxonomically difficult taxa were summarized to genus level as ‘spp.’ due to the absence of reproductive structures and/or diacritical features that are tradition­ally used to identify a species. The main resources used to identify the collected species were Maggs & Hommersand (1993), Bressan & Babbini (2003), Phillips & De Clerck (2005), Brodie et al. (2007), Sfriso (2010). The nomenclature follows Guiry & Guiry (2019). Five randomly selected sampling frames (40 cm x 40 cm) were used to estimate the density of the R. tinctoria balls. The density was determined by counting the number of the ball-like forms directly from each frame during the field work in each of the three parts of the lagoon checked (northern, south-western and western). Fifty balls of R. tinctoria from the studied area were randomly collected in each of the three parts of the lagoon checked in order to measure their diameter. The measures were taken directly to the nearest 0.1 mm using a caliper. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Dense aggregates of ball-like forms of a red alga were recorded in the Stjuža Lagoon of Strunjan for the first time. Based on morphological features, we identi­fied this red alga as Rytiphlaea tinctoria. Its morphology corresponded with the descriptions reported for this spe­cies in other parts of the Mediterranean (Phillips & De Clerck, 2005). The balls of R. tinctoria ranged in shape from roughly spherical to prolate spheroid (Fig. 2a). Branches were radially arranged around a very small branch segment (Fig. 2b) which formed the core of the thallus. The distal parts of the thalli consisted of flattened, reg­ularly alternate branches with strongly incurved branch apices. The thallus was yellowish to dark red-brown in colour, darker towards the tips of the axes (Fig. 3a), and coriaceous to cartilaginous in texture, abundantly branched. Microscopic observations showed that the structure of the thallus was uniaxial. Cross section through young and mature branches showed the sub-terete to oval shape of the axes, composed of a central cell sur­rounded by five pericentral cells, further medullary cells and a darkly pigmented single-layered cortex (Fig. 3b). During our examination of the collected material, we did not detect any reproductive structures. The values of the mean diameter and mean density of the ball-like R. tinctoria from the research area are illus­trated in Table 1. The average density was 22.3 (N/1600 cm2) and it varied between 14 and 33 (N/1600 cm2). The balls ranged widely in size, their diameter on average 73.5 mm, from a minimum of 36.2 to a maximum of 145.3 mm. The described thalli are morphologically very similar to those described by Calvo & Ragonese (1982) from the Stagnone Lagoon (western coast of Sicily), as shown in Table 1. The dissection of the balls revealed a solid, dense mass of intertwined branches, almost entirely of R. tinctoria, but also containing fragments of degraded material composed mainly of leaves of C. nodosa and Z. Tab. 1: Average values of the density and comparative size (diameter) recorded for red alga Rytiphlaea tinc­toria balls from the Stjuža Lagoon of Strunjan, and the Stagnone Lagoon (western Sicily). Tab. 1: Povprečne vrednosti gostote in primerjalne velikosti (premer) kroglic rdeče alge Rytiphlaea tinc­toria iz Lagune Stjuža Strunjan in Stagnone (zahodna obala Sicilije). Rytiphlaea tinctoria Stjuža Lagoon (Strunjan) Stagnone Lagoon (Calvo & Ragonese, 1982) Density (N/1600 cm2) Size (diameter/ mm) Size (diameter/mm) Mean 22.3 73.5 100.0 SD 6.7 24.6 - Min 14 36.2 40.0 Max 33 145.3 200.0 noltei. Some species of Rhodophyta (mainly filamentous Rhodomelaceae with Polysiphonia-like morphology), Chlorophyta (mainly Cladophoraceae and Ulva) were found as epiphytes on the branches of R. tinctoria. In some balls, the only non-organic matter was sand from the substrate. Some balls were kept in an aquarium and numerous small invertebrates were seen emerging from and retreating into the balls, as also reported by Sparla & Riggio (1983-84) and Ballantine et al. (1994). List of the most abundant epiphytes of R. tinctoria: Ceramium spp. Chaetomorpha linum (O.F. Müller) Kützing Cladophora spp. Cystoseira foeniculacea f. tenuiramosa (Ercegovic) A. Gómez Garreta, M.C. Barceló, M.A. Ribera & J. Rull Lluch Polysiphonia scopulorum Harvey Polysiphonia spinosa (C. Agardh) J. Agardh Ulva rigida-laetevirens complex Titanoderma pustulatum (Lamouroux) Näegeli Valonia utricularis (Roth) C. Agardh In the Stjuža Lagoon, many algal species were present in both attached and unattached form. The soft bottom was clearly unsuitable for the development of a highly diverse attached macroalgal vegetation. The presence of the ball-like aggregations of R. tinctoria (Fig. 4b) was the consequence of an accumulation of detached material caused by winds and tidal currents flowing during the tidal switch, as illustrated in Fig. 4a, where the yellow arrows indicate the outflow and the red arrows the inflow of the seawater during the change of tides. Fig. 4: Distribution of Rytiphlaea tinctoria ball-form (white stars) occurring in the Stjuža Lagoon of Strunjan and the direction of the currents of the seawater during tidal movement. The yellow arrows indicate the output flow and the red arrows the entry flow (a). Extensive aggregates of Rytiphlaea tinctoria balls (b). Sl. 4: Razporeditev kroglic vrste Rytiphlaea tinctoria (bele zvezdice) v laguni Stjuža v Strunjanu in smer toka morske vode med plimovanjem. Rumene puščice predstavljajo smer izhoda, rdeče pa smer vhoda morske vode med bibavico (a); goste gruče kroglic vrste Rytiphlaea tinctoria (b). Due to the lack of hard substrata in the lagoon, we found the attached algae mainly on small pebbles, shells, man-made objects and seagrass rhizomes. Some species were present only in the unattached form, floating above the bottom as benthopleustophytes. We observed only two spe­cies of algae with typical ball-like forms: R. tinctoria and the green alga Lychaete echinus (Biasoletto) M.J. Wynne. Their morphologies were different from those of the attached forms. All unattached macroalgae share some typical morphological features: they lack a basal holdfast and are smaller and more branched than the conspecific attached thalli. They usually exhibit curled or screw-like distal parts of branches. The pleustophyte populations, rich in ball-like forms (with a free spherical structure) typical of lagoon environments, are frequent in the Mediterranean. Among the ball-like forms typical of lagoon environments in the Mediterranean, Valonia aegagropila C. Agardh, R. tinctoria, L. echinus and Chaetomorpha linum (O.F. Mül­ler) Kützing were the most diffused (Calvo et al., 1980; Orestano & Calvo, 1985; Cecere et al., 1992). Among the most abundant unattached forms of algae found in the Stjuža Lagoon were green algae of the ge­nus Ulva, with the species U. rigida and U. laetevirens forming mostly unattached accumulations. Sfriso (2006) reported that it would be more correct to refer to the Ulva rigida-laetevirens complex, because the two species are indistinguishable when they are in the unattached form. Among these accumulations, Enteromorpha-type forms of Ulva (with the species U. compressa and U. intestinalis), Chaetomorpha (with the species C. linum), Lychaete (with the species L. echinus) and Cladophora (with the species C. lehmanniana and C. liniformis) were also present. The brown alga Cystoseira foeniculacea f. tenuira­mosa was detected in two attached forms: as epiphyte on R. tinctoria balls (Fig. 5a) and on small pebbles (Fig. 5b). The occurrence of this canopy-forming alga in the Stjuža Lagoon was observed for the first time during this study. Moreover, the species C. foenicu­lacea (Linnaeus) Greville was reported just once in Slovenian coastal waters by Avčin et al. (1974) as Cystoseira discors (Linnaeus) C. Agardh. Due to the high ecological value of Cystoseira spp., this finding is quite important, and the presence and abundance of C. foeniculacea f. tenuiramosa in the Stjuža Lagoon should be regularly monitored in the future. Two theories about the formation of the ball-like form of R. tinctoria have been proposed. According to the first, the phenomenon can be considered the result of a dynamic action of the waves’ motion (Fritsch, 1965; Smith, 1950). The second supports the active role of the alga (Van den Hoek, 1963; Austin, 1960). Based on the information available for other parts of the Mediterranean, we suggest that some environmental conditions characteristic of the Stjuža Lagoon favour the formation of the ball-like form of R. tinctoria, such as: shallowness (with an average of about 0.5–1 m of depth), which permits continuous exposure to sunlight and consequently the growth of algal thalli in all directions; superficial and bottom water currents produced by winds blowing from the North-North-East (burja) and from the South-East (jugo); a wide tidal range, of about 67 cm; and a soft sedimentary bottom unfavourable for the develop­ment of attached macroalgae. This is in agreement Fig. 5: Cystoseira foeniculacea as epiphyte on Rytiphlaea tinctoria ball (a); the atta­ched form of C. foeniculacea, the arrow indicates the basal disc (b). Sl. 5: Cystoseira foeniculacea kot epifit na kroglici alge Rytiphlaea tinctoria (a); alga v pritrjeni obliki, puščica prikazuje pritrdilno ploščico. with Calvo & Ragonese (1982) and Orestano & Calvo (1985) who, during their studies on the ball-like form of R. tinctoria from the Stagnone Lagoon (Sicily, Italy), argued that the formation of the ball-like form is a consequence of two factors: the presence of bottom water currents, which allows rolling, and an intense proliferation of laterals and lateral hooks which, par­tially imbricate, increase the compactness of the alga. It is generally assumed that the unattached form can develop as spherical, entangled, free-rolling balls un­der certain hydrographic and topographic conditions. In their study of the formation of ball-like aggrega­tions of the green alga Aegagropila linnaei Kützing, Togashi et al. (2014) suggested that these aggregations are an adaptative strategy to increase biomass in the extremely limited environments suitable for the growth of this alga. Another interesting observation made in this study is the absence of reproductive structures in the ball-like form of R. tinctoria. It is our general opinion that the benthopleustophyte forms, which derive from the attached form, lost contact with the hard substrate and consequently the capability of development of repro­ductive cells (Burrows, 1958). The present observations were limited to a single sampling date. Unfortunately, we did not have more data on the environmental conditions that may have favoured the unusual formation of the ball-like form of this red alga and others, such as Lychaete echinus in the Stjuža Lagoon of Strunjan. Our assumptions are based only on the observations made during the short research period and the study of the available literature. It is therefore evident that further investigations, repeated in time, will be necessary for a deeper understanding of this phenomenon. CONCLUSIONS On the basis of the cited literature and our observa­tions during the study, we suppose that the formation of the ball-like form of the unattached red alga R. tinctoria in the Stjuža Lagoon of Strunjan may be interpreted as a consequence of (a) mechanic processes through a con­sistent water movement influenced by the winds and tidal current between the high and low tide and (b) features intrinsic to the species which allow the radial growth of the thallus by rolling it on the bottom and thus continu­ously vary its exposure to light. On the bases of our field observations on the occur­rence of the ball-like form of R. tinctoria in the Stjuža Lagoon of Strunjan, which form ball-like aggregations that remain lying or slowly rolling on the bottom, we propose the ball-like form of R. tinctoria be considered as an ecotype of this species. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank several individuals who helped with the present study. We are particularly grateful to the Public Institute Landscape Park Strunjan (Slovenia). We wish to thank dr. Antonella Petrocelli from the Institute for Water Research (IRSA), Taranto (Italy), dr. Fabio Rindi from Department of Life and Environmental Sciences - DiSVA, Ancona (Italy) and Dr. Marcello Catra from the University of Catania (Laboratory of Phycology) (Italy), who kindly helped us with the identification of the col­lected algal species, and dr. Silvia Castro from the Civic Natural Museum of Trieste (Italy) for the microscopic ob­servations of the alga Rytiphlaea tinctoria. Special thanks to anonymous reviewers whose valuable suggestions made a substantial contribution to the manuscript. PRVI ZAPIS O POJAVLJANJU VRSTE RYTIPHLAEA TINCTORIA V KROGLIČNI OBLIKI V STRUNJANSKI LAGUNI (TRŽAŠKI ZALIV, SEVERNI JADRAN) Claudio BATTELLI Frane Maušič 4, 6310 Izola, Slovenia e-mail: claudio.battelli@guest.arnes.si Neža GREGORIČ Novo naselje 1d, 6276 Pobegi e-mail: neza.gregoric@gmail.com POVZETEK Avtorja opisujeta primer prvega pojavljanja kroglične oblike rdeče alge Rytiphlaea tinctoria iz morske lagune Stjuža v Strunjanu (Tržaški zaliv). Terensko delo sta izvedla spomladi 2019 v strunjanski laguni Stjuža, kjer sta opazila visoko gostoto kroglične oblike alge Rytiphlaea tinctoria. Ta se je z večjo gostoto kroglic pojavljala pred­vsem vzdolž robov lagune na severnem, jugozahodnem in zahodnem delu. Opisujeta porazdelitev, povprečni premer, povprečno gostoto in morfološko zgradbo kroglic R. tinctoria. Za oceno gostote kroglic R. tinctoria sta uporabila pet naključno izbranih kvadrantov (40 cm x 40 cm). Izmerila sta premer petdesetih naključno izbranih kroglic. Ugotovila sta, da je mehko dno lagune za razvoj pritrjene makroalgalne vegetacije očitno neugodno, zato so bile v času študije pritrjene oblike alg prisotne predvsem na majhnih kamenčkih, školjkah, umetnih predmetih in na korenikah morske trave. Avtorja razlagata, da je pojav velike gostote kroglične oblike R. tinctoria v laguni, posledica nanosov, ki so ga povzročili tokovi v laguni zaradi delovanja vetrov in plimovanja. V študiji opisujeta tudi pojav nastanka kroglične oblike R. tinctoria, ki ga skušata razložiti z dvema hipotezama in sicer, pojav lahko obravnavamo kot rezultat dinamičnega delovanja tokov in valov v laguni ali kot rezultat aktivne vloge alge z namenom povečanja biomase v prostorsko omejenem prostoru, kot je laguna. Med študijo sta opazila, da je kroglična oblika te vrste drugačna od značilne pritrjene oblike, ki ni prisotna v laguni, saj nima pritrdilnih struktur in ima radialno razporejene poganjke z ukrivljenimi končnimi deli. V nobenem zbranem vzorcu nista opazila reproduktivnih struktur, kar razlagata kot posledico izgube stika s trdnim substratom in možnostjo za razvoj reproduktivnih struktur. Kroglična oblika Rytiphlaea tinctoria bi lahko veljala za ekotip. Ključne besede: Rytiphlaea tinctoria, kroglična oblika, laguna Stjuža Strunjan, severni Jadran REFERENCES Austin, A.P. (1960): Observations on Furcellaria fastigiata (L.) Lam. forma aegagropila Reinke in Danish waters together with a note on other unattached algal forms. Hydrobiol., 14, 255-277. Avčin, A., N. Meith-Avčin, A. Vukovič & B. Vrišer (1974): Primerjava bentoških združb Strunjanskega in Koprskega zaliva z obzirom na njihove polucijsko pogojene razlike. Ljubljana, Biološki vestnik, 22, 2, 171–208. Ballantine, D.L., N.E. 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(2002): The meiofauna of two protected wetlands on the Slovene coast: the Škocjan inlet and the Strunjan Lagoon. Annales Ser. Hist. Nat., 12(2), 203-210. Vukovič, A. (1980): Asociacije morskih bentoških alg v Piranskem zalivu. Biološki vestnik, 28(2), 103–124. Vukovič, A. (1982): Bentoška vegetacija Koprskega zaliva. Acta Adriat., 23(1/2), 227–235. Wynne, M.J. (2017): The reinstatement of Lychaete J.Agardh (Ulvophyceae, Cladophoraceae). Notulae Algarum, 31, 1-4. received: 2020-02-16 10.19233/ASHN.2020.10 SEASONAL GROWTH PATTERNS OF CYMODOCEA NODOSA AND DIVERSITY OF ITS EPIBIOTA IN THE NORTHERN ADRIATIC SEA Sandra Bračun Morska Škola Pula, Valsaline 31, 52100 Pula, Croatia e-mail: marebracun@gmail.com Maximilian Wagner Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria Kristina M. Sefc Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria Stephan KoBlmüller Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria ABSTRACT Growth patterns of the lesser Neptune grass, Cymodocea nodosa, and the distribution of epifauna and epiflora along its leaves were studied from May to October 2014 at two different depths (1.5 and 5 m) in the northern Adriatic Sea (Pula, Croatia). Generally, seagrass biomass, shoot density and number of leaves per shoot were higher in the shallow water, whereas leaf length was pretty similar between depths. The abundance of epibiota followed a leaf-age gradient. At both depths, autotrophic aufwuchs (mainly Rhodophyta) dominated throughout the study period. The epifauna recorded comprised representatives of Bryozoa, Annelida (Polychaeta), Mollusca and Cnidaria (Anthozoa, Hydrozoa). Above all, we document a major decline of the investigated C. nodosa patch from 2014 to the present, which highlights the importance for conservation and management efforts regarding seagrass meadows in the northern Adriatic Sea. Key words: aufwuchs, Cymodocea nodosa, seagrass meadow, sessile invertebrates MODELLI DI CRESCITA STAGIONALE DI CYMODOCEA NODOSA E DIVERSITA DEI SUOI EPIBIONTI NELL’ADRIATICO SETTENTRIONALE SINTESI I modelli di crescita di Cymodocea nodosa e la distribuzione di epifauna ed epiflora lungo le sue foglie sono stati studiati da maggio a ottobre 2014, a due diverse profondita (1,5 e 5 m) nell’Adriatico settentrionale (Pola, Croazia). In generale, la biomassa della pianta, la densita dei fasci e il numero di foglie per fascio sono risultati piu alti a 1,5 m, mentre la lunghezza delle foglie era abbastanza simile tra le profondita. L’abbondanza di epi­bionti ha seguito un gradiente di eta delle foglie. Ad entrambe le profondita, “aufwuchs” autotrofi (principalmente Rhodophyta) hanno dominato per tutto il periodo di studio. L’epifauna determinata ha compreso rappresentanti di Bryozoa, Annelida (Polychaeta), Mollusca e Cnidaria (Anthozoa, Hydrozoa). Gli autori hanno inoltre documen­tato un grave declino del prato di C. nodosa nella zona indagata dal 2014 ad oggi, il che evidenzia l’importanza degli sforzi di conservazione e gestione delle praterie di fanerogame nell’Adriatico settentrionale. Parole chiave: aufwuchs, Cymodocea nodosa, praterie di fanerogame, invertebrati sessili 69 INTRODUCTION Seagrass meadows occur across the globe and cover 0.1 - 0.2 % of the oceans (Duarte et al., 2008). Concordant with a general decay of environmental quality in marine near-shore habitats, massive regres­sions of seagrass meadows have been observed in the last few decades (Zavodnik & Jaklin, 1990; Waycott et al., 2009). This poses a massive threat to coastal ecosystems, as seagrass meadows are important pri­mary producers (Duffy, 2006) and play a crucial role as ecosystem engineers (Wright & Jones, 2006). By colonizing mobile substrata like sandy bottoms or silt at varying depths, they form a three-dimensional struc­ture in an otherwise rather homogeneous environment and supply food, shelter and nursery areas for a vari­ety of animals (Beck et al., 2001; Duffy et al., 2003; Cuadros et al., 2017). Furthermore, seagrasses act as a substrate for a whole community of epiphytes and epizoans (Trautman & Borowitzka, 1999; Piazzi et al., 2016), many of which are strictly associated with the plants and successfully adapted to live and grow on their leaves and rhizomes (Casola et al., 1987; Traut-man & Borowitzka, 1999). Despite the general high productivity of seagrass meadows, this aufwuchs plays a crucial role in the seagrass ecosystem functioning by serving as food for a variety of grazing organisms like snails, contributing to the overall productivity and thus representing an important part of the biological diversity in seagrass beds (Silberstein et al., 1986; Moncreiff et al., 1992; Cambridge et al., 2007; Gacia et al., 2009; Lepoint et al., 2014; Piazzi et al., 2016). Cymodocea nodosa (Ucria) Ascherson, 1870 is one of five seagrass species native to the Adriatic Sea and inhabits mainly sheltered to semi-exposed sites, where it forms either mono-specific or mixed meadows with Zostera noltei Hornemann, 1832 (Mazzella et al., 1993; Mazzella et al., 1998). Cymodocea nodosa grows at varying salinity conditions down to a depth of 40 m (Procaccini et al., 2003; Boudouresque et al., 2009) and is usually found in places not favoured by the larg­est growing Mediterranean species, Posidonia oceanica (Linnaeus) Delile, 1813 (Toccaceli 1990; Sánchez-Jerez et al., 1999). Considered as a pioneer species, C. nodosa is often the first seagrass species to colonize newly established habitat (e.g. Van der Velde & Hartog 1992), but it is also present in degraded P. oceanica meadows facilitating the colonisation by other taxa such as the green algae Caulerpa spp. (Ceccherelli & Sechi, 2002; Montefalcone et al., 2007). Generally, shoot density and size in seagrasses are mainly deter­mined by meadow depth, health and seasonality, but other factors such as branching frequency, seedlings’ success, local sediment type and hydrodynamic con­ditions are also shaping their growth patterns (Pérez et al., 1994; Marbá et al., 2002; Leoni et al., 2008; Díaz-Almela et al., 2008; Martínez-Crego et al., 2008). Hence, wave action and water currents strongly impact the establishment of C. nodosa, whereas in shallow wa­ters (less than 5 m), C. nodosa forms patchy meadows that become more continuous in larger depths between 5 and 35 m (Reyes et al., 1995). Maximum levels of biomass and cover are found at intermediate depths (Dring & Dring, 1991; Krause-Jensen et al., 2000). Despite the important role of C. nodosa and its associated community for the functioning of coastal ecosystems (Orlando-Bonaca et al., 2015; 2016), studies about its epifauna and -flora are generally scarce and highly biased towards algal aufwuchs. Previous studies mainly focused on the morphology, diversity, temporal distribution, reproductive phenol-ogy, biomass, primary production and distribution of crustose red algae of the family Corallinaceae and other epiphytes on C. nodosa leaves (Reyes & Afonso-Carrillo, 1995; Reyes & Sanson, 1996, 1997; Reyes et al., 1998; Reyes & Sansón, 2001). In contrast, next to nothing is known about sessile invertebrates associ­ated with C. nodosa (Guidetti et al., 2001). This lack Fig. 1: Sampling. (A) Investigated site Valsaline Bay (Pula, Croatia, 44°50'59.6"N, 13°50'10.0"E). Satellite pictures show a drastic decline in meadow size (dark areas) from 2013 to 2019. (B) Custom-built sampling device with a standardized frame (0.5 m x 0.5 m) attached to the mo­squito net. (C) Standardized sampling pattern (black dots) for each replicate (= total of 13 investigated shoots). Sl. 1: Vzorčenje. (A) Raziskovana lokaliteta – zaliv Valsali­ne (Pulj, Hrvaška, 44°50'59.6"N, 13°50'10.0"E). Satelitski posnetki kažejo drastični upad v velikosti morskega travnika (temni predeli) od 2013 do 2019. (B) Vzorčevalni pripomoček s standardnim okvirjem (0,5 m x 0,5 m) in mrežico proti komarjem. (C) Standardiziran vzorčevalni pristop (črne točke) za vsako paralelko (=vsota 13 razi­skanih šopov). of data on C. nodosa epibiota is quite surprising con­sidering the wealth of studies investigating aufwuchs on P. oceanica (e.g. Mazzella et al., 1989; Mazzella et al. 1992; Marbá et al., 2002; Balata et al., 2007; Lepoint et al., 2014; Piazzi et al., 2016), which form the basis of our knowledge on seagrass aufwuchs and the factors and processes underlying its diversity and occurrence patterns. The present study aims at characterizing the sea­sonal growth patterns of a C. nodosa meadow in the northern Adriatic Sea, by comparing two different wa­ter depths and relating the growth patterns to different environmental parameters. We further investigated seasonal changes of the diversity and frequency of the whole epibiotic (i.e. autotrophic and heterotrophic) community along the leaves and deliver an overview about the aufwuchs present on C. nodosa in the northern Adriatic Sea. Above all, we monitored a major loss of the investigated meadow between the study period (2014) and 2019. The documentation of this decline is of utmost importance for conservation and management efforts regarding C. nodosa in the northern Adriatic Sea. MATERIAL AND METHODS The investigated C. nodosa meadow is located in the northern Adriatic Sea (Valsaline /Pula/Croatia - 44°50’59.6”N 13°50’10.0”E), situated in the southwest of the Istrian pen­insula (Fig. 1A). The bay is exposed northwest and some sheltered areas exhibit mixed patches of C. nodosa and Z. noltei. The present study is focused solely on C. nodosa and areas of mixed patches of both species were avoided. Sampling was conducted monthly from May to October 2014 at 1.5 m and 5 m depth by snorkeling and scuba div­ing. Environmental parameters (surface water temperature, rainfall and wind) were recorded daily during the sampling period and summarized monthly (Tab. 1). Each monthly sample consisted of four replicates per depth of a standardized area of 0.25 m2 where seagrass was collected using a custom-built sampling device (Fig. 1B). For each replicate a smaller frame (14 cm x 14 cm) was used to visually count shoot density and leaves per shoot, which was later extrapolated to a size of 1 m2. All other leaves were cut off for calculating the leaf area index (LAI – see below) following Bréda (2008) and kept in seawater with air ventilation for subsequent investigations of epiphytes and epizoans. where: T DW = total dry weight [g], surface T = total surface [mm2], [m2] RL surface = reference leaf surface [mm2], RL DW = reference leaf dry weight [g], In a next step, leaves in a shoot were classified into three categories (oldest, youngest and other leaves). Determina­tion of leaf ages was based on the classification by Reyes & Sansón (2001), with the youngest leaves originating in between the oldest leaves, which typically occupy the outer position in a shoot. Mean leaf lengths were determined for each leaf-age category. To investigate the epibiota on the leaves, 13 shoots per replicate were harvested in a standardized way (Fig. 1C) (i.e. 52 shoots per month and depth). If possible, aufwuchs was determined to species level. Otherwise higher taxonomical units were used to rank the specimens (Tab. 2). Furthermore, frequency of occurrences as well as total number (i.e. mean and standard deviation) of epibiota on leaves per replicate for taxonomical unit and depth were calculated. For Tab. 1: Mean and standard deviation (SD) of environmental parameters (water surface temperature, wind speed and direction as well as rainfall) from daily measures during the study period (May-October). Tab. 1: Povprečje in standardna deviacija (SD) okoljskih parametrov (površinska temperature vode, hitrost in smer vetra ter padavine) na podlagi dnevnih meritev v vzorčevalnem obdobju (maj – oktober). month water surface T in °C Mean SD N wind direction (abundance) NO O SO S SW W NW wind speed in km/h Mean SD max rainfall in l/m2 Mean SD 5 18.07 1.47 9 19 23 18 4 7 10 4 1.36 3.48 75 6.25 3.86 6 21.93 0.98 2 33 19 10 6 6 13 10 11.57 5.12 55 23.00 15.39 7 24.26 0.86 2 35 22 13 2 9 11 11 9.64 2.63 55 15.43 9.32 8 24.90 0.30 7 32 19 20 2 5 9 6 9.21 3.06 50 17.75 5.62 9 21.70 0.65 6 47 21 4 0 4 9 6 1.36 4.02 75 27.17 23.79 10 2.45 0.51 4 37 19 21 3 6 2 4 1.50 5.06 75 9.67 4.51 Tab. 2: Diversity and taxonomic identification of the found epiphytic and epizoic community their abbreviations used in the text and the figures. Insecure taxonomic identifications are marked with “cf.” qualifiers. Tab. 2: Pestrost in taksonomska opredelitev epifitske in epizojske združbe ter njihove okrajšave, uporabljene v slikov­nem gradivu in besedilu. Negotove taksonomske določitve so označene s “cf”. Abbreviation Phylum Class Order Species cer Rhodophyta Florideophyceae Ceramiales Ceramium cf. diaphanum, Ceramium cf. flaccidum, Champia cf. parvula, Herposiphonia cf. secunda, Laurencia cf. minuta, Polysiphonia cf. shaerocarpa, Chondria cf. mairei cor Florideophyceae Corallinales Hydrolithon cf. boreale, Hydrolithon cf. farinosum, Hydrolithon cf. cruciatum, Pneophyllum cf. fragile rh diverse Rhodophyta osc Cyanobacteria Cyanophyceae Oscillatoriales bac Ochrophyta Bacillariophyceae Cocconeidales tre Foraminifera Globothalamea Rotaliida Tretomphaloides concinnus for Tubothalamea Miliolida Massilina cf. secans, Peneroplis cf. planatus schiz Bryozoa Gymnolaemata Cheilostomatida Schizobrachiella sanguinea bry Gymnolaemata Cheilostomatida Collarina cf. balzaci, Puellina cf. gattyae pol Annelida Polychaeta Sabellida Janua cf. pagenstecheri, Spirorbis cf. borealis, Spirorbis cf. corallinae qui quiver (tube) of Polychaetes biv Mollusca Bivalvia Mytiloidea Mytilus cf. edulis ovi oviposition gastropod clutches (possible families: Cerithiidae. Chitonidae. Columbellidae. Conidae. Mangeliidae. Muricidae. Nassariidae. Neridae. Plakobranchidae. Pyramidellidae. Rissoidae. Trochidae) buno Cnidaria Anthozoa Actiniaria Bunodeopsis strumosa cly Hydrozoa Leptothecata Clytia linearis kir Hydrozoa Leptothecata Kirchenpaueria pinnata pach Hydrozoa Anthoathecata Pachycordyle pusilla ATH Hydrozoa Anthoathecata visualizations we decided to show only frequency of occur­rences, because they allow a better interspecific comparison between taxa. All graphical visualizations were performed in R v3.3.2 (R Core Team, 2013). After the investigation period we determined a drastic decline of the seagrass meadow size in Valsaline bay. In order to track this change, we used historical images in GoogleEarthPro. Unfortunately, no high-resolution images were available from 2014. Hence, for visualization purposes (Fig. 1A), we decid­ed to take an aerial image from 2013 and compared it with the situation in 2019. Above all, for a better comparability of the patch size, which can fluctuate seasonally, we show images taken in the same month (October). RESULTS Environmental parameters The annual water surface temperature of the sampling site showed typical seasonal variations in Fig. 2: Cymodocea nodosa meadow structure of the investigated site (Valsaline, Pula) for the period May - Octo­ber 2014. (A) Leaf area index (LAI – leaf area/m2), (B) shoot density (shoots/m2), (C) mean number of leaves per shoot for each sampling replicate (I-IV) and (D) comparison of leaf length for different depths, 1.5 m and 5 m. Sl. 2: Struktura morskega travnika kolenčaste cimodoceje na raziskani lokaliteti (Valsaline, Pulj) v obdobju med majem in oktobrom 2014. (A) Indeks listne površine (LAI – listna površina/m2), (B) gostota šopov (št. šopov/m2), (C) povprečno število listov v šopu za vsako paralelko (I-IV) in (D) primerjava dolžine listov na različnih globinah 1,5 m in 5 m. the northern Mediterranean Sea, with a maximum in Diversity and frequency of epiphytes August (24.9 ± 0.3 °C) and a minimum in May (18.07 ± 1.47 °C) (Tab. 1). The prevailing wind direction A total of 18 taxa were identified, six of which was north-east (“Bora”). Average wind speeds did not could be determined to species level (Tab. 2). exceed 11.57 km/h. Maximum wind speed was de-Autotrophic aufwuchs dominated throughout the tected in Mai, September and October with 75 km/h. study period at both depths and was most abun-Highest values of rainfall (27.17 l/m2) were recorded dant on the oldest leaves (Fig. 3; Appendix 1, 2 & in September. 3). In contrast, heterotrophic cover did not show Meadow structure Throughout the study period, seagrass growth parameters were generally higher in 1.5 m compared to 5 m depth (Fig. 2). For both shallow and deep water, the LAI was highest during the summer months, with a maximum LAI observed in July (Fig. 2A). Interestingly, after a drop in August, the LAI in the shallow water reached a second peak in September. Mean annual shoot density (Fig. 2B) reached values of 1292 ± 433 per m2 at 1.5 m depth and 1000 ± 385 per m2 at 5 m depth. Seasonal variation in the number of C. nodosa shoots was recorded, with lowest values in May at 1.5 m (803 ± 143 per m2) and October at 5 m (561 ± 72 per m2). Highest values were recorded in August at 1.5 m (1913 ± 335 per m2) and September at 5 m (1441 ± 274 per m2) (Fig. 2B). The mean number of leaves per shoot (Fig. 2C) ranged from 3.09 ± 0.41 at 1.5 m to 2.91 ± 0.45 at 5 m. A seasonal pattern became evident, with highest values in July at 1.5 m (3.92 ± 0.76) and in June and July at 5 m (June, 3.46 ± 0.52; July, 3.46 ± 0.66). Lowest values were recorded in Fig. 3: Frequency of occurrence (mean and standard deviation) of October for both depths (1.5 m, 2.38 ± epiphytes and epizoans on leaves per replicate over the investigated 0.51; 5 m, 2.08 ± 0.28) (Fig. 2C). period (May – October) for both depths. Abbreviations: cer: Cera- The mean leaf length over the entire mium; cly: Clytia linearis; cor: Corallinaceae; osc: Oscillatoria; ovi: study period (Fig. 2D) was 131.49 ± Oviposition; pol: Polychaeta; rh: Rhodophyta; tre: Tretomphaloides 19.15 mm for shallow water and 116.58 concinna; ATH: athecate hydroids; bac: Bacillariophyceae; biv: ± 18.1 mm for deeper water. The mean Bivalvia; bry: Bryozoa; buno: Bunodeopsis strumosa; fora: Forami-leaf lengths (Fig. 2D) of the oldest leaf in nifera; kir: Kirchenpaueria pinnata; pach: Pachycordyle pusilla; qui: a shoot reached maximum values in July quiver (tube) of Polychaetes; schiz: Schizobrachiella sanguinea. For (152.61 ± 32.39 mm) and June (133.98 taxonomic position see Tab. 2. ± 28.23 mm) and minimum values in Sl. 3: Frekvenca pojavljanja (povprečje in standardna deviacija) September (108.56 ± 31.2 mm) and May epifitov in epizojev na listih na paralelko v raziskanem obdobju (86.77 ± 20.36 mm), in 1.5 and 5 m depth, (maj – oktober) na obeh globinah. Okrajšave: cer: Ceramium; cly: respectively. The maximum values for the Clytia linearis; cor: Corallinaceae; osc: Oscillatoria; ovi: ovipozicija; youngest leaf in a shoot were recorded pol: Polychaeta; rh: Rhodophyta; tre: Tretomphaloides concinna; in July for both shallow (97.68 ± 33.35 ATH: atekatni trdoživnjaki; bac: Bacillariophyceae; biv: Bivalvia; mm) and deeper water (88.03 ± 32.57 bry: Bryozoa; buno: Bunodeopsis strumosa; fora: Foraminifera; kir: mm). Minimum values were observed in Kirchenpaueria pinnata; pach: Pachycordyle pusilla; qui: cevke October for both depths (1.5 m, 71.78 ± mnogoščetincev; schiz: Schizobrachiella sanguinea. Glej Tab. 2. za 23.97 mm; 5 m, 63.37 ± 22.65 mm). taksonomski položaj. a clear leaf-age gradient (Appendix 2 & 3). In 1.5 m depth, epibiota abundance reached a maximum in July and decreased later in the season (Fig. 3). Similar patterns were observed in 5 m depth, with a maximum in June and July, followed by a decrease later in the study period. Ceramium spp., Coral-linaceae, various other Rhodophyta, Tretompha­loides concinna (Brady, 1884) and Polychaeta were the most frequently observed epibiota at both depth and in all months. Gastropod clutches and Clytia linearis (Thorneley, 1900) were present, but at low frequency, in all months at both depth. Oscillatoria, tubes of polychaetes and hydrozoans were present in several months at both depths. Foraminifera, Schizobrachiella sanguinea (Norman, 1868), other Bryozoa, Bivalvia, Bunodeopsis strumosa Andres, 1881 were found only occasionally. Most of the hy­drozoans, with the exception of Clytia linearis, ap­peared only in the second half (from July onwards) and Bacillariophyceae as well as Bivalvia were only present in the first half (until July) of the season. Taxa that were only present in the deep transect (5 m) included Bunodeopsis strumosa, Schizobra­chiella sanguinea and various Foraminifera (Fig. 3; Appendix 1). DISCUSSION Meadow structure The structure and overall growth patterns of the studied C. nodosa meadow at Valsaline Bay, Croa­tia, are similar to those of other previously studied C. nodosa meadows in the Mediterranean Sea and around the Canary Islands (Bičanić & Baković, 2000; Cancemi et al., 2002; Peduzzi & Vuković, 1990; Reyes et al., 1995). Biomass (LAI) and shoot density were generally higher in 1.5 m as compared to 5 m water depth (Fig. 2A). Previous studies on C. nodosa from the Mediterranean Sea and the Canary Islands found maximum growth rates in late spring/ summer (Terrados & Ros, 1992; Peduzzi & Vuko­vic, 1990; Reyes et al., 1995), the time with most favourable conditions for seagrass growth in the Mediterranean Sea (Marbá et al., 1996; Guidetti et al., 2001). Likewise, we found that, at both depths, biomass, shoot density and number of leaves per shoot reached their maxima in the summer months (Fig. 2B & 2C). Patterns and processes determining meadow structure and seasonal growth patterns of seagrasses are highly complex (Duarte et al., 2007; Garrido et al., 2013), such that disentangling the explicit fac­tors shaping meadow structure and growth patterns is not trivial. Cymodocea nodosa is particularly susceptible to seasonal fluctuations (e.g. seawater temperature) and, similar to other seagrasses, the growth pattern is linked to abiotic conditions, par­ticularly to heavy wave action as well as changes in temperature and light intensity (Marbá et al., 1996; Reyes & Afonso-Carrillo, 1995). Mechanic turbulences such as waves could be responsible for discrepancies of growth patterns in different depths. Reduced water movement and an increase of sedi­ment stabilization in deeper water layers enhance seagrass growth and the formation of continuous meadows (Vidondo et al., 1998). In contrast, in shallow water, intense periods of wave action can lead to the fracture of old leaves or detachment of long-living aufwuchs organisms (Reyes & Sansón, 2001). However, we do not find a big difference in overall leaf length when comparing both depths. The investigated site, Valsaline Bay, is opened to­wards northwest and therefore exposed to western winds (e.g., “Zapadnjak” or “Lebić”). During the study period wind speeds of more than 45 km/h were repeatedly recorded (Tab. 1) from these direc­tions. The prevalent wind direction throughout the study period, however, was north-east (“Bora”). The Bora can reach top speeds of up to 250 km/h (Grisogono et al., 2009) and potentially impacts near-shore seagrass growth patterns. Even though the bay is in general protected from winds of this direction, deeper sites, due to their relative loca­tions in the bay (i.e. larger offshore distance), may be more affected than shallow parts (i.e. closer to shore). With increasing depth, light availability for photosynthesis decreases (Dring & Dring, 1991; Krause-Jensen et al., 2000), which could explain generally lower LAI and shoot density values (Fig. 2A & 2B) in the deeper water. Furthermore, seagrass meadow structure is known to be influenced by the processes involved in recovering from natural and anthropogenic mechanic stressors (Duarte et al., 2007). Decreasing LAI in August in shallow water could thus be the result of heavy rainfalls in July that discharged large amounts of terrestrial mud into the study area (Tab. 1; S. Bračun, personal observation). Frequency and diversity of epibiota on Cymodocea nodosa leaves The characteristics of seagrass growth and the life strategies of epiphytes and epizoans are the major factors determining growth dynamics of the aufwuchs (Reyes & Sansón, 1997). A constant creation of leaf surface and the detachment of old parts result in a steadily changing environment that requires adaptations to short life spans and a linear growth/erosion of the substrate (Heijs, 1985; Reyes & Sansón, 2001). In addition, aufwuchs organisms are impacted by numerous abiotic and biotic factors, such as light availability and competition for space (Heijs, 1985; Reyes & Sansón, 1997), resulting in typical ontogenetic and demographic turnovers. The oldest leaves usually occupy the outermost position of a shoot, and the youngest ones originate from the base between the older leaves of a shoot (Reyes & Sansón, 2001). Initial epibiotic colonizers are found already on the youngest leaves and if they persist and grow, they crucially contribute to an increased biomass of more mature leave stages (Reyes et al., 1998; Reyes & Sansón, 2001). In our study, autotrophic aufwuchs dominated throughout the study period at both depths (Fig. 3; Appendix 1) and increased with leaf age (Appendix 2 & 3). Reyes & Sansón (2001) showed that the contri­bution of epiphytes on the oldest leaves, concerning the total biomass of epibiota per shoot, was markedly higher than the contribution of epiphytes from all other leaves. Generally, older leaves are larger (Fig. 2D; Reyes & Sansón, 2001), which offers more leaf surface, but could, especially in nutrient rich areas, affect epiphytic growth due to self-shading effects (Pérez et al., 1994). Among autotrophic taxa we found various Rho-dophyta, Ceramiales (Ceramium) and Corallinaceae, all of them quite abundant throughout the year. This is supported by previous studies that recorded Rho-dophyta as the most common phylum on seagrass leaves, which account for more than 90% of all algal divisions (Reyes & Sansón, 2001). Among the algal aufwuchs, sciaphilic Corallinaceae were clearly most prominent at both depths (Fig. 3). Crustose coralline algae can bear mechanical disturbances, like strong water movement, are able to grow under low light conditions and are considered as primary colonisers of seagrass leaves (Borowitzka et al., 1990). Whereas in the deep transect (5 m) Corallinaceae could profit from generally lower light conditions, in shallow waters (1.5 m) stronger mechanic disturbances and the shading through leaves resulting from a denser meadow (Fig. 2B) could be explanatory factors for increased Corallinaceae growth. Overall, epiphyte abundance in shallow water showed an increase until July, followed by a decrease later in the season, and in 5 m depth an increase between June and July, with a subsequent decrease between July and August. Reyes & Sansón (2001) investigated epiphyte biomass on C. nodosa leaves throughout the year in the Canary Islands and found an irregular annual variation of the epiphytic com­munity with two maxima (winter, late spring-early summer) and one minimum (spring) that could be linked to the leaf lifetime in different seasons (Reyes et al., 1995). In concordance with these findings, the low frequency of epiphytes in May, detected in our study, might be explained by the short leaf life­time (45-75 d) (Reyes & Sansón, 1997), which limits the chance of aufwuchs establishment. In contrast, the peak of epiphytes during summer months can be linked to high daily accumulation of epiphytes due to favourable light conditions in this period, and furthermore, could explain the delay of epiphytic growth in deeper water, where these conditions are achieved later in the season. Nonetheless, further studies, especially spanning over winter months, will be necessary to fully understand annual growth dynamics of epiphytes. Heterotrophic cover appeared seasonally or occasionally, but rarely permanent on C. nodosa and did not show a clear leaf-age gradient (Fig. 3; Appendix 2 & 3). Spatial competition could be a reason for the alternating frequency patterns of het­erotrophic organisms, with autotrophes potentially suppressing the establishment of sessile epiphytic invertebrates by rapid growth at locations and in months with good light conditions (Borowitzka et al., 1990). Thus, if autotrophic cover decreases, the frequency of heterotrophs can increase. Polychaeta were present throughout the season on leaves of different age, but were most abundant on the young­est leaves, independent of depth (Appendix 2 & 3). Colonisation of young leaves could be a strategy to cope with the enormous space competition in later leaf stages and requires a directed and active settling mechanism. Indeed, sedentary polychaeta larvae have chemotactic organs that might allow them to distinguish between leaf-ages (Pawlik, 1992; Helm et al., 2018). In addition to polychaetes, other organ­isms such as Tretomphaloides concinna (Foraminif-era), gastropod clutches and – an exception among Hydrozoans – Clytia linearis were present throughout the year. Occasionally found taxa were several Bivalvia, Bacillariophycea, Bunodeopsis strumosa and Schizobrachiella sanguinea. These occasional occurrences could either be explained by seasonal­ity of organisms (which might be true for athecate hydrozoans, Kirchenpaueria pinnata (Linnaeus, 1758) and Pachycordyle pussila (Motz-Kossowska, 1905)), or that specimens accidentally settled down on seagrass even though not favorable to them. The sea anemone Bunodeopsis strumosa has been reported from different Zostera species before (Ates, 1992) and could – as a hemi-sessile animal – easily switch the host plant from adjacent mixed seagrass patches that grow at the investigated study site (Val-saline bay). Compared to P. oceanica, which is considered well-studied regarding its aufwuchs (reviewed by Pi-azzi et al. 2016), the algal communities in C. nodosa dominate over sessile invertebrates and appear to be less species-rich (Mazella et al., 1998). Several rea­sons might explain the discrepancy of auto- versus heterotrophic aufwuchs between C. nodosa and P. oceanica. Firstly, the size and width of P. oceanica leaves largely exceed those of C. nodosa, which allows the establishment of large growing sessile organisms on the leaves. Secondly, P. oceanica forms a prominent rhizome layer (also called “matte”) that provides settling space and perfect conditions for a variety of sessile invertebrates, many of which can also be found on rocky substrates (e.g. Mabrouk et al., 2014). Hence, these multilayered rhizome structures are unique for P. oceanica among all other Mediterranean seagrass species and provide stable perennial conditions that are mostly necessary for invertebrates with longer developmental cycles (Boudouresque, 1974; Piazzi et al., 2016). Several tunicates, poriferan and bryozoan species are associ­ated with the rhizomes of P. oceanica, which clearly highlights the pivotal ecological role of this layer for the establishment of heterotrophic aufwuchs (Pi-azzi et al., 2016). Hence, the absence of a rhizome layer in C. nodosa could explain why sponges and tunicates are missing in our samples. However, the whole epibiotic community found in this study is also present in P. oceanica (Piazzi et al., 2016). Above all, an overlap in the aufwuchs community between P. oceanica and C. nodosa makes sense in the light of long-term dynamics and phase-shifts that strongly link these two seagrass species (Montefalcone et al., 2007). Conservation remarks and outlook From 2013 to 2019 the investigated seagrass meadow underwent a drastic change, which resulted in the disappearance of the whole patch (Fig. 1A). Several other places along the Istrian coast suffer from a decline of C. nodosa meadows (personal observation; L. Lipej, personal com­munication). Nonetheless, data on distribution and abundance of C. nodosa is largely lacking for the northern Adriatic Sea (Orlando-Bonaca et al., 2016), which makes comparative studies and hence the implementation of proper conservation efforts difficult. Natural disturbances (i.e. extreme climatic events, heavy storms, or biological interaction and invasions) are often responsible for seagrass loss, which also affects the biomass and production of its aufwuchs (Reyes & Sansón, 2001; Tuya et al., 2013). On the other hand, human induced disturbances like eutrophication and dredging lead to reduced water clarity and overall quality with impacts on C. nodosa growth patterns, or cause direct physical damage (Short & Wyllie-Echeverria, 1996; Reed & Hovel, 2006; Orlando Bonaca et al., 2019). Above all, rapid changes on a global scale affect coastal ecosystems too fast to allow adaptation of seagrass species to the changing environment (Montefalcone et al., 2007; Chefaoui et al., 2018). A loss of seagrass coincides with a deprivation of all the ecological services they provide and as a consequence, water quality, primary production and biodiversity will decline (Tuya et al., 2014). However, recolonization of seagrass seems still possible if disturbances are limited and growth conditions are suitable. Simulations show that small species of seagrass recover within a few years af­ter a disturbance, while large species may require centuries (Duarte, 1995). Above all, more studies about the dynamics of different seagrass species and their epiphytic community, including C. nodosa are essential and of utmost importance for understand­ing close-shore ecosystem dynamics and changes. Although the knowledge about algal colonization of C. nodosa leaves is considered high (e.g. Reyes & Sansón, 1996), there is a lack of data on the di­versity of epizoans. Reyes & Sansón (1996) rightly mentioned, that understanding the function of C. nodosa comes along with the complete inclusion of the whole aufwuchs community. Hence, further investigations including the creation of a catalogue about the species composition, with proper species determination of all common epifaunal taxa would be necessary, especially in the light of biological diversity and conservation strategies. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS For field support and the implementation of the present study we thank the staff of the Morska Škola Pula (Croatia). Furthermore, we thank several col­leagues for their input concerning the taxonomic determinations: Neela Enke, Martin Langer, Frans Jorissen, Caterina Morigi, Björn Berning, Robert A. Patzner, Bastian Brenzinger, Kristian Fauchald and Cinzia Gravili. Finally, we thank the Haus des Meeres (Vienna) for supporting S.B. with the Rupert-Riedl prize. Appendix 1: Frequency of occurrences (upper values) and total number (lower values, grey) of epiphytes on leaves given in mean (bold) and standard deviation (italics) per replicate for both depths. Taxonomic abbreviations correspond to organisms determined in Table 2. Priloga 1: Frekvenca pojavljanja (zgornje vrednosti) in celotno število (spodnje vrednosti) epifitov in epizojev na listih, iz­ražena s povprečno vrednostjo (krepko) in standardno deviacijo (kurziv) za različne starostne razrede listov na paralelkah v obeh globinah. Taksonomske okrajšave ustrezajo organizmom v Tabeli 2. 1.5 m 5 m May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct May June Jul Aug Sept Oct ATH .003 .003 2.000 n.A. .003 .005 3.000 n.A. .002 .003 5.000 n.A. bac .004 .008 1.000 n.A. .004 .008 1.500 .707 biv .002 .003 1.000 n.A. .004 .005 1.000 n.A. .002 .003 1.000 n.A. bry .019 .016 1.200 .422 .002 .003 1.000 n.A. buno .005 .007 1.000 n.A. cer .158 .021 11.23 7.681 .112 .041 1.05 6.737 .150 .015 23.91 1.086 .154 .016 26.942 13.616 .144 .044 4.053 3.514 .190 .008 9.714 8.193 .175 .064 3.157 2.619 .095 .056 3.939 3.727 .100 .017 11.951 8.492 .102 .021 7.593 7.025 .107 .026 2.024 1.968 .054 .023 2.500 2.728 cly .087 .026 5.298 4.573 .032 .021 3.889 1.997 .034 .013 6.318 3.945 .019 .014 5.917 3.895 .028 .020 8.143 6.212 .056 .022 5.290 3.917 .075 .058 5.091 6.131 .004 .004 5.500 6.364 .010 .008 6.667 12.910 .003 .004 1.000 n.A. .010 .009 8.000 6.583 .024 .006 4.250 3.545 cor .179 .011 19.47 13.20 .253 .021 24.99 13.44 .243 .013 32.62 17.38 .192 .011 34.07 18.00 .201 .012 18.33 9.548 .206 .020 2.31 1.78 .123 .013 3.118 3.122 .251 .049 15.60 1.08 .236 .014 24.92 9.329 .186 .035 22.47 13.63 .218 .008 22.512 9.470 .168 .032 21.630 1.447 fora .004 .004 1.000 n.A. .005 .007 1.000 n.A. kir .003 .006 3.500 .707 .005 .007 3.000 3.367 .004 .004 3.500 2.121 .002 .004 2.000 n.A. .005 .003 1.000 .008 .005 3.000 2.646 .007 .008 2.333 2.309 osc .006 .012 4.333 5.774 .100 .025 5.044 4.621 .021 .009 1.727 1.555 .009 .014 1.800 1.789 .003 .006 1.000 n.A. .090 .013 5.098 3.562 .145 .032 4.196 2.895 .174 .024 7.659 5.114 ovi .064 .008 1.486 1.269 .032 .024 1.294 .588 .059 .022 1.216 .584 .031 .012 1.286 .956 .069 .035 1.676 .944 .087 .008 1.500 .772 .106 .040 1.578 1.011 .041 .038 1.421 .838 .103 .023 1.714 1.300 .086 .026 1.780 1.542 .111 .020 1.465 .797 .112 .009 1.564 1.014 pach .001 .003 1.00 n.A. .002 .003 3.000 n.A. .002 .003 43.00 n.A. .018 .005 15.714 12.473 .007 .006 8.750 6.292 pol .130 .057 1.986 1.467 .206 .038 3.549 3.038 .165 .052 2.819 2.129 .179 .007 2.975 2.270 .120 .026 2.397 1.632 .115 .033 1.641 1.132 .019 .021 1.111 .333 .204 .032 2.392 1.781 .203 .039 3.098 2.520 .196 .026 2.634 1.745 .163 .043 3.460 2.669 .180 .021 3.614 2.516 qui .012 .004 1.000 n.A. .003 .006 1.000 n.A. .004 .004 1.000 n.A. .004 .004 1.000 n.A. .006 .012 1.333 .577 .005 .010 1.000 n.A. .003 .004 1.000 n.A. .005 .006 1.000 n.A. .007 .006 5.750 2.754 rh .207 .028 17.55 12.303 .196 .016 2.70 11.99 .221 .012 29.67 15.20 .181 .018 3.39 15.48 .212 .013 14.153 9.721 .206 .016 8.947 7.095 .229 .072 4.242 2.689 .191 .012 1.05 7.100 .174 .014 17.61 8.785 .150 .013 11.33 9.168 .145 .018 2.446 1.972 .113 .008 2.071 1.333 schiz .002 .003 1.000 n.A. tre .131 .022 1.806 1.241 .117 .026 2.047 1.408 .083 .006 2.019 1.513 .109 .045 2.427 1.839 .152 .053 2.914 2.128 .121 .032 1.597 .954 .234 .051 3.340 3.827 .172 .005 2.165 1.396 .142 .025 1.884 1.545 .150 .034 2.058 1.521 .036 .030 1.286 .469 .104 .028 1.340 .586 Appendix 2: Frequency of occurrences (upper values, white) and total number (lower values, grey) of epiphytes on leaves given in mean (bold) andstandard deviation (italics) for different leaf-ages per replicate for 1.5 m depth. Taxonomic abbreviations correspond to organisms determined in Table 2.Priloga 2: Frekvenca pojavljanja (zgornje vrednosti na belem polju) in celotno število (spodnje vrednosti na sivem polju) epifitov in epizojev na listih,izraženi s povprečno vrednostjo (krepko) in standardno deviacijo (kurziv) za različne starostne razrede listov na paralelka v globini 1,5 m. Taksonomskeokrajšave ustrezajo organizmom v Tabeli 2. 1.5 m Others May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct .19 .01 1.38 7.29 .06 .04 5.44 3.61 .20 .01 2.04 7.23 .01 .01 2.00 n.A. .13 .04 1.59 .87 .11 .04 1.53 .64 .20 .01 1.11 6.94 .09 .05 1.83 1.11 .03 .03 1.20 .45 .16 .03 3.35 2.81 .03 .04 1.75 5.56 .22 .02 17.97 9.78 .09 .03 1.67 .90 .13 .04 2.43 1.63 .22 .02 14.58 9.95 .12 .03 3.11 1.94 .004 .01 2.00 n.A. .16 .02 24.49 11.68 .01 .01 4.00 2.83 .20 .01 29.61 13.42 .01 .01 1.00 n.A. .11 .04 5.90 5.50 .02 .01 1.40 .89 .003 .01 1.00 n.A. .19 .02 3.61 2.57 .19 .01 27.00 13.32 .11 .05 2.38 1.71 .14 .02 2.11 8.58 .04 .02 5.46 3.84 .25 .01 28.53 13.80 .003 .01 3.00 n.A. .06 .03 1.22 .73 .18 .05 3.12 2.35 .01 .01 1.00 n.A. .23 .01 26.24 13.00 .07 .02 2.00 1.68 .09 .04 9.05 6.64 .04 .03 4.78 2.11 .29 .03 2.27 9.89 .04 .03 1.36 .67 .23 .04 4.11 3.22 .19 .04 18.22 12.39 .12 .03 1.46 .88 .13 .05 7.21 4.62 .12 .05 6.32 4.38 .18 .03 9.87 6.97 .01 .01 1.00 n.A. .08 .03 1.75 1.77 .14 .06 2.42 1.77 .22 .05 11.07 7.08 .12 .01 1.81 1.30 Young May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct .17 .02 4.28 4.59 .05 .04 6.00 5.32 .21 .04 9.56 4.82 .01 .01 5.00 n.A. .01 .02 3.00 2.83 .08 .03 1.36 .63 .12 .05 1.86 1.62 .01 .01 1.00 n.A. .21 .04 5.22 4.70 .13 .04 1.18 .39 .03 .04 1.25 .50 .08 .05 2.88 2.36 .04 .01 7.25 6.70 .17 .07 9.00 8.88 .01 .02 1.00 n.A. .05 .04 1.80 1.79 .06 .07 1.71 1.11 .22 .07 7.21 8.13 .18 .14 2.10 1.70 .04 .03 1.25 5.97 .03 .04 8.33 5.51 .21 .05 12.70 5.58 .02 .02 2.50 .71 .03 .04 1.00 n.A. .27 .06 1.96 1.45 .13 .07 11.77 5.56 .11 .12 3.31 2.84 .02 .03 4.50 .71 .27 .07 15.46 7.28 .01 .02 4.00 n.A. .08 .05 1.43 .53 .22 .12 2.14 1.59 .19 .05 14.12 5.77 .04 .03 1.00 n.A. .03 .05 6.33 4.93 .02 .03 2.00 1.41 .18 .05 11.38 7.89 .01 .02 1.00 n.A. .28 .07 2.58 2.30 .11 .09 12.82 7.25 .04 .03 1.75 .96 .05 .06 11.80 8.70 .13 .08 5.25 5.53 .07 .06 9.14 3.80 .06 .06 1.20 .45 .24 .11 1.77 1.11 .15 .08 6.20 4.00 .09 .05 1.22 .44 Old May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct .20 .01 12.52 8.80 .06 .03 4.79 3.40 .21 .02 28.04 8.65 .01 .02 1.00 n.A. .07 .04 1.53 .80 .004 .01 3.00 n.A. .11 .02 1.54 .88 .004 .01 1.00 n.A. .21 .02 1.96 7.64 .13 .02 1.79 1.08 .004 .01 1.00 n.A. .16 .06 4.73 3.98 .02 .02 7.00 6.87 .20 .01 21.98 7.06 .04 .02 1.80 1.62 .07 .04 1.65 .70 .14 .04 2.51 1.72 .01 .01 1.00 n.A. .20 .01 17.12 8.72 .16 .04 3.24 2.33 .003 .01 2.00 n.A. .18 .02 3.44 14.34 .03 .02 5.43 3.46 .18 .02 47.17 15.09 .01 .01 5.00 4.24 .12 .03 4.43 3.74 .05 .02 1.31 1.11 .14 .02 2.79 2.03 .01 .01 1.00 n.A. .18 .02 38.69 13.93 .10 .04 2.07 1.27 .22 .02 27.40 1.18 .03 .02 8.43 4.12 .23 .01 46.75 15.12 .05 .02 1.08 .29 .12 .04 2.70 1.92 .02 .02 1.00 n.A. .23 .01 39.52 13.88 .11 .03 2.19 1.44 .004 .01 1.00 n.A. .17 .06 1.92 6.88 .03 .02 3.29 1.50 .24 .03 35.73 11.37 .02 .03 1.20 .45 .15 .04 3.28 3.05 .24 .03 24.59 11.17 .15 .02 2.59 1.62 .01 .02 1.00 n.A. .22 .01 13.42 8.16 .04 .01 2.80 2.94 .22 .01 28.06 11.54 .01 .02 6.00 7.07 .06 .02 1.29 .61 .08 .04 1.44 .98 .22 .01 26.56 11.19 .15 .04 1.95 1.31 depth leaf-agemonth ATH bac b iv bry cer c ly cor kir osc ov i pach pol qui rh t re Appendix 3: Frequency of occurrences (upper values) and total number (lower values) of epiphytes on leaves given in mean (bold) and standard deviation(italics) for different leaf-ages per replicate for 5 m depth. Taxonomic abbreviations correspond to organisms determined in Table 2.Priloga 3: Frekvenca pojavljanja (zgornje vrednosti) in celotno število (spodnje vrednosti) epifitov in epizojev na listih, izraženi s povprečno vrednostjo (krepko) in standardno deviacijo (kurziv) za različne starostne razrede listov na paralelka v globini 5 m. Taksonomske okrajšave ustrezajo organizmom vTabeli 2. 5 m Others May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct .01 .02 5.00 n.A. .05 .04 1.50 .58 .05 .06 2.40 1.52 .21 .05 14.2 5.34 .01 .03 1.00 n.A. .18 .05 6.33 4.66 .13 .08 1.43 .79 .03 .03 5.67 1.53 .17 .07 3.91 2.26 .06 .07 2.40 1.14 .09 .08 1.50 .76 .16 .10 2.25 3.15 .03 .04 13.5 2.12 .20 .05 21.2 12.5 .01 .02 6.00 n.A. .13 .05 4.75 3.33 .11 .04 1.67 1.21 .09 .04 7.00 3.08 .23 .06 2.40 3.20 .02 .03 2.00 n.A. .09 .03 7.81 7.73 .22 .07 13.6 1.6 .07 .03 5.38 3.52 .08 .03 1.40 .83 .22 .07 2.98 2.01 .15 .03 9.25 9.89 .14 .03 1.77 1.03 .004 .01 .09 .02 11.3 7.94 .01 .01 1.50 .71 .25 .02 24.9 8.43 .004 .01 2.00 n.A. .004 .01 1.00 n.A. .10 .03 1.85 1.79 .003 .01 43.0 n.A. .21 .05 3.49 2.44 .003 .01 .19 .02 17.0 8.09 .14 .03 1.94 1.43 .005 .01 .06 .06 3.36 2.76 .01 .01 5.50 6.36 .28 .06 12.9 9.10 .04 .03 1.50 1.07 .24 .02 2.47 1.77 .18 .03 8.80 6.58 .18 .03 2.10 1.26 .18 .08 2.04 1.27 .09 .06 5.29 7.60 .09 .02 3.08 4.61 .11 .06 1.94 1.39 .03 .04 1.20 .45 .01 .02 1.50 .71 .20 .06 3.14 1.72 .29 .08 3.23 4.73 Young May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct .06 .02 1.88 2.10 .12 .04 1.2 6.17 .01 .01 1.00 n.A. .17 .04 4.39 2.37 .07 .03 1.80 1.14 .01 .01 18.0 n.A. .20 .03 2.89 2.89 .01 .01 9.00 n.A. .13 .03 1.89 1.18 .12 .02 1.35 .61 .10 .06 1.27 .47 .16 .03 15.4 5.85 .01 .02 2.00 n.A. .09 .07 2.10 1.85 .11 .03 1.23 .44 .04 .01 15.3 12.7 .22 .05 2.96 1.66 .12 .02 2.36 1.55 .03 .02 1.00 n.A. .01 .02 1.00 n.A. .16 .07 1.9 4.02 .09 .04 1.00 n.A. .38 .06 2.94 1.76 .07 .06 3.29 2.56 .20 .09 1.84 1.01 .02 .03 2.00 1.41 .26 .08 14.4 6.47 .11 .02 1.30 .67 .28 .11 1.65 .75 .05 .04 13.4 9.24 .14 .08 1.15 .38 .03 .03 1.00 n.A. .15 .07 4.30 4.30 .03 .06 2.50 .71 .38 .13 2.80 2.10 .07 .07 8.80 3.03 .10 .09 1.29 .49 .09 .10 2.14 1.21 .14 .18 3.36 2.58 .08 .03 2.00 1.00 .09 .07 1.13 .35 .04 .08 1.00 .19 .14 3.00 1.46 .23 .10 2.45 1.99 Old May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct .003 .01 .01 .01 .05 .03 3.06 3.23 .03 .01 5.57 4.08 .18 .03 27.6 7.83 .01 .01 1.00 n.A. .01 .01 3.00 2.83 .18 .03 9.48 5.35 .13 .01 1.53 1.03 .18 .02 3.94 2.32 .01 .01 4.67 2.08 .12 .01 2.12 1.45 .09 .05 1.29 .53 .01 .01 3.00 n.A. .10 .02 2.32 1.89 .01 .01 2.50 2.12 .25 .03 25.4 8.30 .004 .01 1.00 n.A. .18 .03 4.63 2.84 .11 .04 1.54 .83 .01 .01 16.3 15.0 .15 .04 3.31 2.92 .13 .02 2.52 1.22 .04 .04 1.33 .50 .14 .02 7.67 6.85 .01 .01 1.00 n.A. .17 .02 32.6 9.50 .01 .01 1.00 n.A. .01 .01 1.00 n.A. .13 .01 5.00 3.62 .09 .03 2.27 1.93 .12 .02 1.97 1.19 .01 .01 1.00 n.A. .17 .02 13.57 8.52 .14 .03 2.34 1.91 .14 .02 12.9 8.80 .02 .01 9.25 15.8 .21 .03 3.0 7.17 .004 .01 1.00 n.A. .10 .03 1.73 .78 .16 .02 3.48 3.04 .004 .01 1.00 n.A. .20 .01 18.7 9.41 .004 .01 1.00 n.A. .15 .01 2.08 1.83 .004 .01 1.00 n.A. .15 .07 4.36 4.11 .25 .05 2.8 8.98 .05 .06 1.11 .33 .11 .06 1.79 1.28 .01 .03 1.00 n.A. .24 .02 11.2 7.66 .18 .02 2.39 1.59 .01 .02 1.50 .71 .21 .05 4.08 3.10 .04 .04 7.13 6.75 .16 .04 3.39 2.68 .11 .03 1.48 .75 .01 .01 1.00 n.A. .004 .01 1.00 n.A. .27 .08 5.32 3.04 .19 .05 3.46 depth leaf-agemonth AT H bac biv b ry buno cer c ly cor fora kir osc ov i pach pol qui rh schiz t re SEZONSKA RAST KOLENČASTE CIMODOCEJE (CYMODOCEA NODOSA) IN PESTROST NJENIH EPIBIONTOV V SEVERNEM JADRANU Sandra Bračun Morska Škola Pula, Valsaline 31, 52100 Pula, Croatia e-mail: marebracun@gmail.com Maximilian Wagner Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria Kristina M. Sefc Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria Stephan KoBlmüller Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria POVZETEK Avtorji so raziskovali rastne značilnosti kolenčaste cimodoceje (Cymodocea nodosa) in prostorsko porašče­nost epifavne in epiflore na njenih listih od maja do oktobra 2014 na dveh globinah (1,5 in 5 m) v severnem Jadranu (Pulj, Hrvaška). Navadno so biomasa, gostota šopov in število listov v šopu višji v plitvini, medtem ko je dolžina lista bolj ali manj podobna na različnih globinah. Število epibiontov je sledilo gradientu starosti listov. Na obeh globinah so tekom raziskave kot obrast na listih prevladovale rdeče alge. Epifavno so sestavljali predstavniki taksonomskih skupin kot so Bryozoa, Annelida (Polychaeta), Mollusca in Cnidaria (Anthozoa, Hydrozoa). 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BIOINVAZIJA BIOINVASIONE BIOINVASION received: 2020-04-03 DOI 10.19233/ASHN.2020.11 OCCURRENCE OF GNATHIA LARVAE (CRUSTACEA, ISOPODA, GNATHIIDAE) IN THREE LESSEPSIAN FISH SPECIES IN THE SOUTHERN TURKISH COAST OF THE AEGEAN SEA Ahmet ÖKTENER Department of Fisheries, Sheep Research Institute, Çanakkale Road 7.km, 10200, Bandirma, Balikesir, Turkey e-mail: ahmetoktener@yahoo.com Sezginer TUNCER Department of Marine Biology, Faculty of Marine Science and Technology, Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, TR, 17100, Canakkale, Turkey ABSTRACT Gnathia larvae (praniza) of Gnathiidae (Crustacea, Isopoda) were reported for the first time from the southern Turkish coast of the Aegean Sea, found in the gill filaments of Lessepsian species goldband goatfish Upeneus moluc­censis (Bleeker, 1855) and Red Sea goatfish Parupeneus forsskali (Fourmanoir & Guézé, 1976) (both Perciformes; Mullidae), and in the gill filaments and mouth of redcoat Sargocentron rubrum (Forsskal, 1775) (Beryciformes; Holocentridae). The prevalence of Gnathia larvae in these fish was 47 %, 63 %, and 58 %, mean intensity 1.3, 1 and 1, respectively. The parasites were observed macroscopically in the gill filaments of the fish, and appeared red as the blood sucked from their hosts completely filled their stomachs. A description of morphological characters of the praniza is also provided. Key words: Gnathia larvae, Goldband goatfish, Redcoat, Red Sea Goatfish, Lessepsian, Turkey PRESENZA DI LARVE DI GNATHIA (CRUSTACEA, ISOPODA, GNATHIIDAE) IN TRE PESCI LESSEPSIANI LUNGO LA COSTA MERIDIONALE TURCA DEL MAR EGEO SINTESI Le larve (praniza) di Gnathia (Crustacea, Isopoda, Gnathiidae) sono state segnalate per la prima volta lungo la costa turca meridionale dell’Egeo, rinvenute nei filamenti branchiali di specie lessepsiane, come la triglia dorata Upeneus moluccensis (Bleeker, 1855) e Parupeneus forsskali (Fourmanoir & Guézé, 1976) (entrambi Percifor-mes; Mullidae), e nei filamenti branchiali e nella bocca del pesce armato rosso Sargocentron rubrum (Forsskal, 1775) (Beryciformes; Holocentridae). La prevalenza delle larve di Gnathia in questi pesci era rispettivamente del 47 %, 63 % e 58 %, con un’intensita media pari a 1,3, 1 e 1. I parassiti sono stati osservati macroscopicamente nei filamenti branchiali dei pesci e sono diventati rossi quando il sangue succhiato ai loro ospiti ha riempito completamente il loro stomaco. Gli autori forniscono anche una descrizione dei caratteri morfologici delle larve. Parole chiave: larve di Gnathia, triglia dorata, pesce armato rosso, lessepsiani, Turchia 87 INTRODUCTION The goldband goatfish, the Red Sea goatfish and the redcoat are known as native to the Indo-Pacific Ocean and Red Sea. After the opening of the Suez Canal, they have been reported as non-indigenous species in the Mediterranean Sea. The goldband goatfish and the redcoat were reported for the first time by Kosswig (1950), and the red sea goatfish by Çinar et al. (2006) in the Turkish coast of the Mediterranean Sea . There are several records about these fish species in Turkey: Gücü et al. (1994), Taşkavak et al. (1998), Kaya et al. (1999), Başusta & Erdem (2000), Torcu & Mater (2000), Bilecenoglu et al. (2002), Ögretmen et al. (2005), Sangun et al. (2007), Gökçe et al. (2010), Ergüden & Turan (2013) for the goldband goatfish; Taşkavak et al. (1998), Başusta & Erdem (2000), Torcu & Mater (2000), Taşkavak & Bilecenoglu (2001), Can et al. (2002), Ögretmen et al. (2005), Kabakli & Ergüden (2018) for the redcoat; and Yaglioglu & Ayaş (2016), Gürlek et al. (2016) for the Red Sea goatfish. The Gnathiidae display sexual dimorphism. Adult forms are free-living organisms found in oscular cavi­ties of sponges, on various substrates, such as galleries in soft sea floor, in coral crevices, or microcliffs of estuaries (Smit & Basson, 2002, Giannetto et al., 2003). Larval forms have three stages, with each stage includ­ing two forms: praniza and zuphea. Pranizas are known as temporary haematophagous ectoparasites on fish including elasmobranchs and teleosts (Ferreira, 2011). Zupheas are non-feeding benthic dwellers (Hadfield et al., 2008; Ferreira, 2011). Pranizas have been reported from the body surface, gill and mouth cavities, and fins of their hosts. A praniza feeds on the blood and tissue fluids of fish; when its gut is filled with the blood of the host, it goes down to the benthos for meal digestion, and later moults into female or male (Tanaka, 2007; Ferreira, 2011). Several studies have been carried out about patho­logical and detrimental effects of praniza larvae on their hosts (Paperna & Zwerner, 1976; González et al., 2004; Marino et al., 2004; Jones & Grutter, 2005). There are also reports of fish deaths caused by praniza infestations from around the world (Paperna & Por, 1977; Paperna & Overstreet, 1981; Mugridge & Stal­lybrass, 1983; Patarnello et al., 1995). Lessepsian parasites were reported from the Mediterranean (Merella et al., 2016; Özak et al., 2012; El-Rashidy & Boxshall, 2012), after the occurrence of 18 Lessepsian parasites were recognized by Zenetos et al. (2008). In addition to them, the parasitological surveys show that also native parasites were reported from Lessepsian fish (Innal et al., 2007; Shakman et al., 2009; Öktener et al., 2010; Boussellaa et al., 2016; Merella et al., 2016; Bakopoulos et al., 2017). These isopods have previously been reported from host species belonging to different fish families native to Turkey (Akmirza, 2000; Akmirza, 2001; Genç et al., 2003; Kirkim et al., 2008; Alaş et al., 2009). Although the mentioned three Lessepsian fish species have colonized the Mediterranean coasts, the parasites associated with them have not been investigated in detail in Turkey. The present study reports the occurrence of new hosts of praniza of Gnathia sp in Turkey, complete with morphological characters. MATERIAL AND METHODS Redcoat, Sargocentron rubrum (Forsskal, 1775) (Beryciformes; Holocentridae) (n = 63), goldband goatfish, Upeneus moluccensis (Bleeker, 1855) (Perci­formes; Mullidae) (n = 42) from Fethiye Bay (16°17’ N 120°12’ E) and Red Sea goatfish, Parupeneus forsskali (Fourmanoir & Guézé, 1976) (Perciformes; Mullidae) (n = 48) from Datça Bay (16°17’ N 120° 12’ E) were caught by gill nets in the Aegean Sea, Turkey in July 2019. The collected parasite samples were fixed in 70% ethanol. Some of the praniza were put in lactic acid for clearing for a minimum of 24 h. The praniza were dissected out in lactic acid between slide and cover slip using Wild M5 and Leica M140 stereo microscopes. All drawings were made with the aid of a drawing tube (Olympus BH-DA) attached to the compound microscope. Measurements are given in millimeters. Identifications and comparisons were performed according to Smit & Basson (2002), Gian-netto et al. (2003), Hadfield et al. (2008) and Ferreira (2011). Scientific names and synonyms of parasites were checked in WoRMS Editorial Board (2020), and fish hosts described according to Froese & Pauly (2019). RESULTS Order Isopoda Latreille, 1817 Suborder Cymothoida Wägele, 1989 Superfamily Cymothooidea Leach, 1814 Family Gnathiidae Leach, 1814 Genus Gnathia Leach, 1814 (Figs. 1-8, Tab. 1) Tab. 1: Infestation information concerning praniza. Tab. 1: Podatki o okužbi s pranico. Hosts Prevalence (%) Mean Intensity Infestation site Parupeneus forsskali 63 1 the gill filaments Upeneus moluccensis 47 1.3 the gill filaments Sargocentron rubrum 58 1 the gill filaments, mouth cavity Fig. 1: Praniza of gnathiid isopod. Scale bar: 0.5 mm. Sl. 1: Ličinka pranica raka enakonožca iz rodu Gnathia. Merilo: 0,5 mm. The trunk colour of the larvae was reddish in ap­pearance as their bodies were filled with the blood of the host. In addition, excess mucus was observed in the gill filaments of the hosts. Infestation informa­tion of the praniza is provided in Table 1. Description of praniza larva (Figs. 1-8): Total body length of praniza larvae is 1.93-2.52 mm, body width 0.61-0.67 mm (n=25). Cephalosome sub-circular and conical-shaped. Posterior margin straight and slightly wider than anterior margin. Cephalon slightly wider than long. Lateral margins slightly convex and parallel. Eyes oval-shaped, large, well developed on lateral margins of cephalo-some. Length of eyes is two-thirds of the length of cephalosome. Many melanospots randomly covering dorsal surface of cephalosome. Antenna longer than antennule. Antennule (Fig. 2a) with three peduncle articles, third article longest. Flagellum with four articles, article 2 longest. Both articles 2 and 3 with one and two simple setae; article 4 with one aesthetic seta and five setae. Antenna (Fig. 2b) with four peduncle articles; fourth article longest. Lateral margins of articles 2-4 denticulated. Flagellum with seven articles; article 1 slightly longer. Article 7 with four long setae on distal tip; each article with 1-5 setae on distal end. Mandible (Fig. 2d) stout with swollen basis; distal tip styliform with 12 backwardly directed teeth on its inner margin. Maxillule (Fig. 2e) long and styliform; with eight small teeth on distal inner margin. Maxilla not visible. Maxilliped (Fig. 2c) large, cylindrical, composed of basis and three articled palps. Basis with a long seta and style-like endite. Article 1 with 10 teeth, article 2 with four setae, article 3 with three setae. Gnathopods (Fig. 2f) smaller than pereopods, with seven articles; basis and coxa without pectinate or seta; basis, ischium, merus, carpus, propodus with pectinate scales on in­ner margins; ischium, merus, carpus, propodus with one seta; dactylus hook-like with a small tooth on medium. Merus the largest article, carpus the small­est article. Paragnath (Fig. 2g) three-segmented, basal segment bears one seta. Pereopods (Fig. 3) 1-2 similar in size; pereopods gradually increasing from 1 to 5, pereopod 1 being Fig. 2: a. Antennule, b. Antenna, c. Maxilliped, d. Mandible, e. Maxillule, f. Gnathopod, g. Paragnath. Scale bar a & b: 0.38 mm, c & g: 0.05 mm, d: 0.07 mm, e: 0.08 mm and f: 0.09 mm. Sl. 2: a. antenula, b. antena, c. maksiliped, d. mandibula, e. maksilula, f. gnatopod, g. paragnat. Merilo a & b: 0,38 mm, c & g: 0,05 mm, d: 0,07 mm, e: 0,08 mm in f: 0,09 mm. the shortest, pereopod 5 the longest. The length of the basis of pereopod 2 about 4 times the width, basis with three simple setae anteriorly, a single simple seta posteriorly, ischium 0.6 times as long as basis, three setae anteriorly, two setae posteriorly, merus 0.6 times as long as ischium, with anterior bulbous protrusion, two simple setae and a single feather-like seta on bulbous protrusion, two setae on posterior margin, carpus 1.2 times as long as merus, four simple setae on posterior margin, propodus 1.2 times as long as carpus, two simple setae on anterodistal margin, two robust setae and a single seta on posterior margin, dactylus 0.6 times as long as propodus, two setae on posterior side and two setae on median side. Posterior margin on propodus of pereopod 1 denticulated; pereopod 2 non-denticulated; posterior margin of propodus, carpus, merus, ischium of pereopod 3 denticulated; posterior margin of propodus, carpus, merus of pereopods 4-5 denticulated. Pleopods (Fig. 4a) biramous and fan-shaped; endopod larger than exopod in each pleopod. En-dopod of pleopod 1 with two articles and bearing 11 plumose setae, exopod with 10 plumose setae. Pleopods 2-3 with 8 plumose setae on endopod and 9 plumose setae on exopod. Pleopod 5 with 7 plumose setae on endopod and 8 plumose setae on exopod. Peduncles of pleopods with two coupling hooks on inner margin, a single seta on inner mar­gin. Endopod (Fig. 4b) larger than exopod. Endopod slightly extending beyond tip of pleotelson. Endopod and exopod with 9 plumose setae. Outer and inner margins of exopod and endopod with short hair-like setae. Uropodal basis with two simple setae. Fig. 3: Pereopods 1-5 of praniza. Scale bar: 0.32 mm. Sl. 3: Pereiopodi od 1 do 5 pri ličinki pranici. Merilo: 0,32 mm. DISCUSSION The fish diversity of Turkish coasts was reviewed by Bilecenoglu et al. (2014), who identified 512 species. Marine fish fauna of Turkey has changed considerably with the arrival of alien species of Indo-Pacific and Atlantic origin through the Suez Canal, Gibraltar, due to climate change, and through ballast water (Oral, 2010; Turan et al., 2018). Turan et al. (2018) counted 101 non-indigenous fish spe­cies reported in Turkish marine waters, including 73 species of Indo-Pacific origin, 22 species of Atlantic origin and 6 species of unknown origin. The examination of the three Lessepsian fish carried out in this study mainly concerned their length-weight relationships, ecology, and population dynamics in Turkey to date. Although these Lessep­sian fishes have been colonizing the Mediterranean coasts since the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, the parasites associated with them have only been scarcely investigated in the Mediterranean. Taxonomy of the gnathiid is generally based on the morphology of the free-living male, thus the identification of the morphology of gnathiid larvae is not possible (Smit & Basson, 2002; Hadfield et al., 2008; Ferreira, 2011). Hence, the gnathiid larvae in this study could not be identified at species level. There is no previous study providing the description of gnathiid larvae in Turkey. This study is the first report on parasites found in three Lessepsian fish from the Mediterranean Sea. To date, members belonging to the Gnathiidae have been reported in twenty-eight fish species in the Sea of Marmara, Black Sea, Aegean Sea and Mediter­ranean coasts of Turkey (Tab. 2). Table 2 provides a general idea about the hosts of Gnathia larvae. Host fish parasitized by Gnathiidae are interpreted according to the feeding type, habitat preference, and family. There are only a few reports concerning praniza found in members belonging to the Actinopterygii in Turkey. Nunomura and Honma (2004), and Ota Fig. 4: a. Pleopods 1-5 (0.13 mm), b. uropod. Scale bar: 0.13 mm. Sl. 4: a. Pleopodi 1-5 (0,13 mm), b. uropod. Merilo: 0,13 mm. (2015) reported of praniza in elasmobranchs. On the other hand, Mhaisen et al. (2018) counted 18 marine fish species (10 bony fishes + 8 cartilaginous fishes) as hosts of Gnathia sp. in Iraq. There is no record of praniza in Elasmobranchii in Turkey. Gnathiids are mainly reported in fish belonging to the Sparidae and the Serranidae of the Perciformes in light of the studies carried out in Turkey. Based on the habitat types of the host species, the praniza also seem to display a preference for demersal fish, including reef-associated and benthopelagic, over pelagic fish. When the feeding habits of the host species infested with praniza are examined, it may be said that praniza larvae prefer carnivorous to omnivorous or herbivorous fishes. The praniza larvae in this study were reported from Lessepsian fishes U. moluccensis, P. forsskali and S. rubrum. The fact that these fish are of demersal character in view of their habitat, and carnivorous by feeding habit, presents them as possible hosts of Gnathiidae praniza larvae. Bilge et al. (2019) analysed the potential inva­siveness of 45 Lessepsian marine fishes in the south­western coasts of Anatolia (Mugla region, Turkey) using the Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit (AS-ISK). They categorised Upeneus moluccensis and Sargocentron rubrum as high-risk species, and Parupeneus forsskali as a medium-risk species ac­cording to both thresholds. After these Lessepsian fishes were first seen in the Mediterranean Sea in 1950, their high-risk potential invasiveness values show that they adapted very well to the Marmara Sea. The fact that these fishes are well settled in the Mediterranean contributes to them being potential hosts of gnathiid praniza. Although the Gnathiidae are treated as native parasites in this study, it is not known whether this parasite species is invasive. It has been reported from these hosts in the Indian Ocean as well. Chelladurai & Subbulakshmi (2017) reported of gnathiid praniza on Parupeneus indicus with a 93.7% prevalence, and Sargocentron rubrum with a 63.6% prevalence Fig. 5: Red Sea goatfish, Parupeneus forsskali (Fourmanoir Fig. 6: Praniza on mouth base of redcoat. & Guézé, 1976), redcoat, Sargocentron rubrum (Forsskal, Sl. 6: Pranica na ustih veveričevke. 1775), goldband goatfish, Upeneus moluccensis (Bleeker, 1855) (top to bottom). Sl. 5: Parupeneus forsskali (Fourmanoir & Guézé, 1976), Sargocentron rubrum (Forsskal, 1775), Upeneus moluccen-sis (Bleeker, 1855) (od zgoraj navzdol). Tab. 2: Reports of gnathiid isopods on fish from Turkey. Tab. 2: Poročanja o rakih enakonožcih na ribah iz Turčije. Gnathiid Species Host Locality Record Praniza larvae Diplodus annularis Aegean Sea Akmirza (2000) Praniza larvae Diplodus vulgaris Aegean Sea Akmirza (2000) Praniza larvae Diplodus sargus Aegean Sea Akmirza (2000) Praniza larvae Dentex dentex Aegean Sea Akmirza (2000) Praniza larvae Lithognathus mormyrus Aegean Sea Akmirza (2000) Praniza larvae Pagrus pagrus Aegean Sea Akmirza (2000) Praniza larvae Diplodus annularis Aegean Sea Akmirza (2001) Praniza larvae Diplodus vulgaris Aegean Sea Akmirza (2001) Praniza larvae Symphodus tinca Aegean Sea Akmirza (2001) Praniza larvae Scorpaena porcus Aegean Sea Akmirza (2001) Praniza larvae Scorpaena scrofa Aegean Sea Akmirza (2001) Praniza larvae Gaidropsarus mediterraneus Aegean Sea Akmirza (2001) Praniza larvae Umbrina cirrosa Aegean Sea Akmirza (2001) Praniza larvae Epinephelus aeneus Mediterranean Sea Genç et al. (2003) Praniza larvae Epinephelus marginatus Mediterranean Sea Genç (2007) Praniza larvae Ephinephelus costae Mediterranean Sea Erol (2007) Praniza larvae Mullus surmuletus Black Sea Alaş et al. (2009) Praniza larvae Scorpaena scrofa the Sea of Marmara Alaş et al. (2009) Praniza larvae Serranus cabrilla the Sea of Marmara, Aegean Sea Alaş et al. (2009) Praniza larvae Mugil cephalus Aegean Sea Alaş et al. (2009) Praniza larvae Gaidropsarus mediterraneus Aegean Sea Alaş et al. (2009) Praniza larvae Trachurus mediterraneus Aegean Sea Alaş et al. (2009) Praniza larvae Sarpa salpa Aegean Sea Alaş et al. (2009) Praniza larvae Diplodus vulgaris Aegean Sea Alaş et al. (2009) Praniza larvae Sciaena umbra Aegean Sea Alaş et al. (2009) Praniza larvae Pagellus erythrinus the Sea of Marmara Alaş et al. (2009) Praniza larvae Diplodus annularis Aegean Sea Akmirza (2010) Praniza larvae Diplodus vulgaris Aegean Sea Akmirza (2010) Praniza larvae Lithognathus mormyrus Aegean Sea Akmirza (2010) Praniza larvae Spicara maena Aegean Sea Akmirza (2010) Praniza larvae Pagellus erythrinus Aegean Sea Akmirza (2010) Praniza larvae Coris julis Aegean Sea Akmirza (2010) Praniza larvae Scorpaena scrofa Aegean Sea Akmirza (2010) Praniza larvae Stephanolepis diaspros Aegean Sea Akmirza (2010) Praniza larvae Sparus aurata Aegean Sea Akmirza (2010) Praniza larvae Dicentrarchus labrax Aegean Sea Akmirza (2010) Praniza larvae Conger conger Aegean Sea Akmirza (2012) Praniza larvae Dentex macrophthalmus Aegean Sea Düşen et al. (2016) Paragnathia formica (Hesse,1864) Mugil cephalus Aegean Sea Kirkim et al. (2008) Paragnathia formica (Hesse,1864) Pagellus erythrinus Aegean Sea Kirkim et al. (2008) Paragnathia formica (Hesse,1864) Mugil cephalus Mediterranean Sea Taşkin (2013) from the southeastern coast of India, Gulf of Mannar. Paperna & Por (1977) reported Gnathia piscivora in mullets in Israel. Tuan et al. (2015) reported Gnathia sp with a 26.92% prevalence on Parupeneus multifas­ciatus and a 57.14% prevalence on P. heptacanthus in Vietnam. Rückert et al. (2009) reported of Gnathia sp with a 10% prevalence on Upeneus moluccensis in Lampung Bay, Indonesia. Fish parasites have been used to discriminate fish stock in population studies (Avdeev, 1992; MacKenzie & Abaunza, 1998; MacKenzie, 2002; Catalano et al., 2014; Poulin & Kamiya, 2015) and in other fields of study, e.g., as pollution indicators (MacKenzie et al., 1995; MacKenzie, 1999; Palm & Dobberstein, 1999; Williams & MacKenzie, 2003) since the 1950s. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors wish to thank Msc. Murat Keleş for correcting the grammar of the manuscript. POJAVLJANJE LIČINK VRSTE IZ RODU GNATHIA (CRUSTACEA, ISOPODA, GNATHIIDAE) PRI TREH LESEPSKIH SELIVKAH V JUŽNIH TURŠKIH VODAH EGEJSKEGA MORJA Ahmet ÖKTENER Department of Fisheries, Sheep Research Institute, Çanakkale Road 7.km, 10200, Bandirma, Balikesir, Turkey e-mail: ahmetoktener@yahoo.com Sezginer TUNCER Department of Marine Biology, Faculty of Marine Science and Technology, Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, TR, 17100, Canakkale, Turkey POVZETEK Avtorji poročajo o prvem pojavljanju ličink (pranica) vrst iz rodu Gnathia (Crustacea, Isopoda) iz južnih turških voda Egejskega morja, najdenih na filamentih lesepskih bradačev Upeneus moluccensis (Bleeker, 1855) in Parupeneus forsskali (Fourmanoir & Guézé, 1976) (oba Perciformes; Mullidae) ter na škržnih filamentih veve­ričevke Sargocentron rubrum (Forsskal, 1775) (Beryciformes; Holocentridae). Pojavljanje ličink iz rodu Gnathia pri teh ribah je bilo 47 %, 63 %, in 58 %, povprečna intenzivnost pa 1.3, 1 in 1. Zajedavci so bili opaženi na škržnih filamentih in so bili rdeče barve, saj so s krvjo gostitelja povsem zapolnili želodec. Avtorja podajata tudi popis morfoloških znakov pranice. Ključne besede: ličinke iz rodu Gnathia, Upeneus moluccensis, Parupeneus forsskali, Sargocentron rubrum, lesepske selivke, Turčija REFERENCES Akmirza, A. (2000): Seasonal distribution of parasites detected in fish belonging to the Sparidae family found near Gokçeada. Turkiye Parazitol. Derg., 24, 435-441. Akmirza, A. (2001): The samples from metazoon para­sites detected in fish around Gökçeada. In: Proceedings of National Meeting of Aegean Islands in 2001. Öztürk, B., Aysel, V.(eds), TÜDAV Publication number 7, TÜDAV, Istanbul, pp. 85-96 (in Turkish). Akmirza, A. (2010): Investigation of the Monogenean Trematods and Crustecean Parasites of the Cultured and Wild Marine Fishes near Salih Island. Kafkas Univ. Vet. Fak. Derg., 16, 353-360. Akmirza, A. 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Sci., 9, 119-166. received: 2020-06-02 DOI 10.19233/ASHN.2020.12 ADDITIONAL RECORD OF THE ALIEN CRAB ACTAEODES TOMENTOSUS (BRACHYURA: XANTHIDAE: ACTAEINAE) FROM TUNISIAN MARINE WATERS Raouia GHANEM Laboratoire de Biodiversité, Biotechnologies et Changements climatiques (LR11ES09), Université Tunis El Manar, Tunisia e-mail: raouia-ghanem@hotmail.fr Jamila BEN SOUISSI Laboratoire de Biodiversité, Biotechnologies et Changements climatiques (LR11ES09), Université Tunis El Manar, Tunisia and Institut National Agronomique de Tunisie, Université de Carthage, Tunisia ABSTRACT The occurrence of the Xanthid crab Actaeodes tomentosus, an Erythrean species, is recorded for the second time from the Tunisian marine waters. A single female was captured by hand on October 2016 during scuba diving survey carried out in the Marine Protected Area of Zembra. The specimen was caught at 1 m depth anchored to a rock. The carapace length and width were respectively 9.1 mm and 14.3 mm. This record constitutes the northernmost extension range of the species not only in Tunisia but also at a Mediterranean scale. A. tomentosus is neurotoxic containing the “Tetrodotoxin”, which is widespread in the Indo-Pacific region and considered among the most common intertidal coral reefs species. Key words: Marine Protected Area, bioinvasion, decapods, diving survey, extension range, Tunisia NUOVA SEGNALAZIONE DEL GRANCHIO ALIENO ACTAEODES TOMENTOSUS (BRACHYURA: XANTHIDAE: ACTAEINAE) IN ACQUE MARINE DELLA TUNISIA SINTESI La presenza di una specie eritrea di granchi della famiglia Xanthidae, Actaeodes tomentosus, e stata registrata per la seconda volta nel mare della Tunisia. Una singola femmina e stata catturata con le mani nell’ottobre del 2016, durante un’indagine subacquea condotta nell’area marina protetta di Zembra. Il granchio e stato cattu­rato a 1 m di profondita, mentre si trovava saldamente aggrappato ad una roccia. La lunghezza e la larghezza del carapace erano rispettivamente di 9,1 mm e 14,3 mm. Questo ritrovamento costituisce la segnalazione piu settentrionale delle specie, non solo in Tunisia, ma anche su scala mediterranea. A. tomentosus e una specie neurotossica, contenente la tetrodotossina. E diffusa nella regione indo-pacifica ed e considerata tra le piu comuni specie di barriere coralline intertidali. Parole chiave: area marina protetta, bioinvasione, decapodi, indagine subacquea, estensione, Tunisia 99 INTRODUCTION Invasive species are considered as a major threat (Azzurro et al., 2019) and the second most common cause of species extinction after habitat destruction (Bellard et al., 2016). The Mediterranean is the most invaded Sea in the world (Galil et al., 2014), and of the 821 Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) recorded up to date, more than a half are established (Zenetos et al., 2017). This region is known to support several crab invasions (Swart et al., 2018). Over 39 alien Brachyura species of Red Sea/Indo-Pacific origin have been well documented in the Mediterranean Sea, mainly in the eastern Basin (Klaoudatos & Kapiris, 2014). Decapods are the best known marine invasive crustaceans due to their easy larvae dispersal (Landeira et al., 2019), their high reproductive rate and wide environmental tolerance allowing an important establishment success (Gothland et al., 2014) and particularly the adverse environmental and socio-economic impacts that can inflict such species. Indeed, some crabs from Portu­nidae (Portunus segnis (Forskal, 1775), Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896) or Epialtidae (Libinia dubia H. Milne Edwards, 1834) families have strongly affected human health, ecosystems and fishery activities in Tu­nisian waters (Khamassi et al., 2019; Rjiba et al., 2019; Chaffai et al., 2020). According to Corsini-Foka & Kondylatos (2015), four alien xanthid crabs occur in the Mediterranean Sea; Atergatis roseus (Rüppell, 1830), Actaea savignii Fig. 2: Actaeodes tomentosus (ref. INAT- XAN-Ac-tom01). A. Dorsal view. B. Ventral view. Scale bar = 5 mm. Sl. 2: Actaeodes tomentosus (ref. INAT- XAN-Ac-tom01). A. Hrbtna stran. B. Trebušna stran. Merilo = 5 mm. (H. Milne Edwards, 1834), Xanthias lamarckii (H. Milne Edwards, 1834) and Actaeodes tomentosus (H. Milne Edwards, 1834), this latter is the most frequent species, worldwide distributed particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, from the Red Sea, Aden, Somalia, Kenya, Tan­zania, Mozambique and S. Africa to the Western Indian Ocean islands up to Australia, Japan and Hawaii Islan­ds (Serene 1984). A. tomentosus was recorded for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea in the shallow coastal waters of Rhodes Island (Corsini-Foka & Kondylatos, 2015). In January 2015, three specimens, two non-ovigerous females and one male, were collected from the marina of Hammamet, located in eastern Tunisia among biofo­uling (Ounifi Ben Amor et al., 2016). A larger trend in recorded alien species in the last decades have been locally reported as a main consequence of a heavy biological invasion of mixed origins. More than 150 NIS fauna have been recorded at present. Among them crustacean decapods consti­tute the main group of alien fauna, more than 50% according to Ounifi-Ben Amor et al. (2016) and Ben Souissi et al. (2019). In order to implement effective management plans for marine ecosystems, an accurate and updated spa-tio-temporal data on species biogeography is required (Katsanevakis et al., 2020). Records of “New-Comers” should not be limited to their first observation. In fact, species distribution knowledge constitute a prerequisi­te to assess their invasion potential and its progress and therefore the establishment of the best conservation measures. MATERIAL AND METHODS During a periodic assessment of climate change impacts on marine biodiversity carried out mainly in Tunisian Marine Protected Areas (MPA’s), a single female of Actaeodes tomentosus specimen was col­lected by hand at 1 m depth anchored to a rock during scuba diving survey on 15 October 2016 performed in Zembra MPA (37°04’645’’N and 11°02’960’’E) (Fig.1). The crab was identified as A. tomentosus following Serene (1984) and was subsequently preserved in 95% alcohol, and deposited in the Collection of cru­stacean species at the Institut National Agronomique de Tunisie under the catalogue number: INAT- XAN­-Ac-tom01. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The collected specimen was a female exhibiting the typical morphological characters of A. tomentosus following Serene (1984). The crab was easily identified by numerous dark granules throughout the carapace and appendages, especially on the outer face of both movable and fixed dactyls. (Fig. 2). The carapace length (CL) and width (CW) were respectively 9.1 mm and 14.3 mm. The ratio CW/CL= 1.58 is near the value (1.55) reported for the species by Serene (1984). A. tomentosus has been reported in the marina of Hammamet on 2015 (Ounifi-Ben Amor et al., 2016), su­ggesting that the possible pathway of introduction was maritime traffic. Since this species has now been found in two localities from eastern (Central Mediterranean) and northeastern Tunisia (Western Mediterranean) for a short time, this record constitutes the northernmost extension range of the species not only in the area but also in the wide Mediterranean Sea. Such patterns suggest that viable populations are progressively esta­blishing although it is small and cryptic, and probably escaped to notice. The arrival of poisoning species is increasingly noted in Tunisian waters (Yahia et al., 2013; Ben Souissi et al., 2014; Ounifi-Ben Amor & Ghanem In Dailianis et al. (2016). Indeed, cases of intoxication by Tetradotoxin (TTX), present in Tetraodontiformes fish (pufferfish) were observed in western Tunisia during year 2013 (Ben Souissi et al., 2014) and also identified in some A. tomentosus from Taiwan (Ho et al., 2006), and Saxitoxin and related compounds (STXs) were found in specimens from Japan (Deeds et al., 2008). Several scientific studies confirm the increasing spread and abundance of invasive marine species of human health concern, however, informa­tion on their impacts remains unequally and poorly known (Galil, 2018). Regular monitoring programs in and around MPAs enhance NIS detection to an early invasion stage probably allow their eradication (Otero et al., 2013). However, the risks that NIS can have in these particular habitats are very significant and even harmful (Galil, 2019). Several Non-Indigenous species have been reported the waters surrounding Zembra Island MPA, and such habitat constitute a kind of refuge, where NIS do not face to fishing pressure occurring in the­se unprotected sites (Giakoumi et al., 2019). In fact, and according to Ounifi-Ben Amor et al. (2016) and Ounifi-Ben Amor & Ghanem In Dailianis et al. (2016), of the 137 non-indigenous faunal species recorded in Tunisia, 25 species were listed around Zembra MPA and six species have been observed in its surrounding waters. Therefore, in total agreement with Galil (2019), it appears that MPAs with an abundance of Non-Indi­genous populations could be considered as seed banks leading to a spill-over effect to neighboring areas. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would like to warmly thank anonymo­us Referees for their valuable comments and their suggestions for improving the manuscript. This work was partially funded by the French Research program BIODIVMEX/MISTRALS. NOVI ZAPIS O POJAVLJANJU TUJERODNE RAKOVICE ACTAEODES TOMENTOSUS (BRACHYURA: XANTHIDAE: ACTAEINAE) IZ TUNIZIJSKIH MORSKIH VOD Raouia GHANEM Laboratoire de Biodiversité, Biotechnologies et Changements climatiques (LR11ES09), Université Tunis El Manar, Tunisia e-mail: raouia-ghanem@hotmail.fr Jamila BEN SOUISSI Laboratoire de Biodiversité, Biotechnologies et Changements climatiques (LR11ES09), Université Tunis El Manar, Tunisia and Institut National Agronomique de Tunisie, Université de Carthage, Tunisia POVZETEK Avtorji poročajo o drugem zapisu o pojavljanju rakovice Actaeodes tomentosus, eritrejske vrste, v tunizijskih morskih vodah. Samica te vrste je bila ujeta z roko oktobra 2016 med potapljanjem z avtonomno potapljaško opremo v morskem zavarovanem območju Zembra. Primerek je bil ujet na 1 m globine, tesno pritrjen na skalo. Dolžina oklepa je bila 9,1 mm, njegova širina pa 14,3 mm. Ta zapis predstavlja najsevernejši primer pojavljanja vrste v Tuniziji in tudi v Sredozemskem morju. A. tomentosus je nevrotoksična vrsta, ki vsebuje strup tetrodotoksin. Je široko razširjena vrsta v Indo-Pacifiku in pogosta vrsta v bibavičnem pasu na koralnih grebenih. Ključne besede: morsko zavarovano območje, bioinvazija, raki deseteronožci, potapljaški pregled, širjenje areala, Tunizija REFERENCES Azzurro, E., V. Sbragaglia, J. Cerri, M. Bariche, L. Bolognini, J. Ben Soussi, G. Busoni, S. Coco, A. Chrys­santhi, E. Fanelli, R. Ghanem, J. Garrabou, F. Gianni, F. Grati, J. Kolitari, G. Letterio, L. Lipej, C. Mazzoldi, N. Milone, F. Pannacciulli, A. Pešić, Y. Samuel-Rhoads, L. Saponari, J. Tomanić, N.E. Topçu, G. Vargiu & P. 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Sci., 6(2), 63- 118. received: 2020-04-29 DOI 10.19233/ASHN.2020.13 ADDITIONAL RECORD OF GOLANI ROUND HERRING, ETRUMEUS GOLANII (OSTEICHTHYES: DUSSUMIERIIDAE) FROM TUNISIAN WATERS WITH COMMENTS ON ITS DISTRIBUTION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA Sami MILI, Rym ENNOURI & Sihem RAFRAFI-NOUIRA Unité de Recherche, Exploitation des Milieux aquatiques, Institut Supérieur de Peche et d’Aquaculture de Bizerte, Université de Carthage, BP 15, 7080 Menzel Jemil, Tunisia Christian CAPAPÉ Laboratoire d’Ichtyologie, case 104, Université de Montpellier , 34095 Montpellier cedex 5, France e-mail: capape@univ-montp2.fr ABSTRACT The occurrence of the Lessepsian migrant Golani round herring Etrumeus golanii (Dussumieriidae) was con­firmed off the Tunisian coast with the record of a specimen captured by a commercial purse-seiner on 13 March 2020, in the Gulf of Hammamet. The specimen, a mature female, measured 262 mm in total length and weighed 178.22 g. Morphometric and meristic characteristics of the specimen caught are given. This new finding of E. golanii confirms the rapid expansion of this Lessepsian migrant’s range in the Mediterranean Sea. Key words: Round herring, Etrumeus golanii, Lessepsian migration, Gulf of Hammamet, expansion range, Mediterranean Sea NUOVE SEGNALAZIONI DELLA SARDINA DI GOLANI, ETRUMEUS GOLANII (OSTEICHTHYES: DUSSUMIERIIDAE) IN ACQUE DELLA TUNISIA CON COMMENTI SULLA DISTRIBUZIONE NEL MEDITERRANEO SINTESI La presenza della sardina di Golani, Etrumeus golanii (Dussumieriidae), migrante lessepsiano, e stata confermata al largo delle coste tunisine con la cattura di un esemplare con rete da circuizione commerciale, il 13 marzo 2020, nel Golfo di Hammamet. Il campione, una femmina matura, misurava 262 mm di lunghezza totale e pesava 178,22 g. Nell’articolo vengono fornite le caratteristiche morfometriche e meristiche dell’esemplare catturato. Questo nuovo ritrovamento di E. golanii conferma la rapida espansione di questo migrante lessepsiano nel mare Mediterraneo. Parole chiave: sardina di Golani, Etrumeus golanii, migrazione lessepsiana, Golfo di Hammamet, intervallo di espansione, Mediterraneo 105 INTRODUCTION The Golani round herring Etrumeus golanii DiBat­tista, Randall & Bowen, 2012 is a Lessepsian migrant (sensu Por, 1978), native to the western Indian Ocean and common in the Red Sea (Golani & Fricke, 2005). The species migrated through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea, where it was first recorded in the eastern Levant Basin, off Haifa, and misidentified as the red-eye round herring Etrumeus teres (DeKay, 1848) by Whitehead (1963). Successive records occurred in eastern Mediterranean regions, where viable populations are probably established (Golani, 2000, 2005). After migrating toward western areas, the species was first recorded in the central Mediterranean in the waters surrounding the Lampedusa Island by Falautano et al. (2006). It was redefined the Golani round her­ring E. golanii by DiBattista et al. (2012) and furtherly recorded with its new taxon in Tunisia (Boussellaa et al., 2016, Rafrafi-Nouira et al., 2017), Libya (Shakman et al., 2017), Algeria (Kassar & Hemida in Stamouli et al., 2017), and Morocco (Tamsouri et al. (2019). In this paper, an additional record of E. golanii from the Tunisian coast is reported and the species’ distribution throughout the Mediterranean and its status in this sea are discussed. Fig. 1: Map of the Mediterranean Sea, copied from Rafrafi et al. (2015), indicating the distribution of Golani round eye Etrumeus golanii by chronological order. 1: Haifa Bay, Israel, Whitehead (1963). 2: Off Egypt, El Sayed (1994). 3: Off Iskenderun, Turkey, Başusta et al. (1997). 4: Off Syria, erroneously reported as Etrumeus sadina (Mitchill, 1814), Saad (2002) in Ali (2018). 5: Antalya Gulf, Turkey, Yilmaz & Hoşsucu (2003). 6: Off Limassol, Cyprus, Golani (2005). 7: Rhodes, Greece, Corsini et al. (2005). 8: Cyclades, Greece, Kallianiotis & Lekkas (2005). 9: Hydra Island, Greece, Zenetos et al. (2008). 10: Crete, Greece, Kasapidis et al. (2007). 11: Lampedusa, Italy, Falautano et al. (2006). 12: Dikili Coast, Turkey, Yarmaz et al. (2010). 13: Gulf of Izmir, Turkey, Akyol & Ulaş (2016). 14: Gulf of Gabes, Tunisia, Boussellaa et al. (2016). 15: Off Misrata, Libya, Shakman et al. (2017). 16: Off Cherchell, Algeria, Kassar & Hemida in Stamouli et al. (2017). 17: Off Ras Jebel, Tunisia, Rafrafi et al. (2017). 18: Fnideq Bay, Morocco, Tamsouri et al. (2019). 19: Gulf of Hammamet, Tunisia, present study. Sl. 1: Zemljevid Sredozemskega morja (prirejeno po Rafrafi in sod., 2015) in podatki o razširjenosti vrste Etrumeus golanii glede na časovni interval pojavljanja. 1: Zaliv Haifa, Izrael, Whitehead (1963). 2: v vodah Egipta, El Sayed (1994). 3: v vodah okoli Iskenderuna, Turčija, Başusta in sod. (1997). 4: pred Sirijo, napačno določena kot Etrumeus sadina (Mitchill, 1814), Saad (2002; v Ali 2018). 5: zaliv Antalya, Turčija, Yilmaz & Hoşsucu (2003). 6: pred Limasso­lom, Ciper, Golani (2005). 7: Rodos, Grčija, Corsini in sod. (2005). 8: Kikladi, Grčija, Kallianiotis & Lekkas (2005). 9: otok Hydra, Grčija, Zenetos in sod. (2008). 10: Kreta, Grčija, Kasapidis in sod. (2007). 11: Lampedusa, Italija, Falautano in sod. (2006). 12: obala Dikili, Turčija, Yarmaz in sod. (2010). 13: zaliv Izmir, Turkey, Akyol & Ulaş (2016). 14: zaliv Gabes, Tunizija, Boussellaa in sod. (2016). 15: pred Misrato, Libija, Shakman in sod. (2017). 16: v vodah pred Cherchell, Alžirija, Kassar & Hemida v Stamouli in sod. (2017). 17: pred Ras Jebel, Tunizija, Rafrafi in sod. (2017). 18: zaliv Fnideq, Maroko, Tamsouri in sod. (2019). 19: zaliv Hammamet, Tunizija, pričujoča raziskava. MATERIAL AND METHODS On 13 March 2020, a specimen of E. golanii was ob­served at the fish landing site of Kélibia. The specimen was caught in the Gulf of Hammamet at 36°46’57” N and 11°17’52” E, during the night, at a depth of 40-42 m (Fig. 1). It was caught together with other pelagic teleost species such as the round sardinella Sardinella aurita Valenciennes 1847, the Mediterranean horse-mackerel Trachurus mediterraneus (Steindachner, 1868), and the Atlantic chub mackerel Scomber colias Gmelin, 1789. The specimen of E. golanii was frozen and delivered to the laboratory, where it was identified, photographed, measured and weighed. Morphometric and meristic characteristics were recorded following Nielsen & Johnson (1983), and are summarized in Table I. The specimen was preserved in 10% buffered formaldehyde, deposited in the Ichthyological Collec­tion of the Institut Supérieur de Peche et d’Aquaculture de Bizerte (Tunisia), under catalogue number ISPAB­Etr-gol-01. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The specimen of E. golanii from eastern Tunisian waters measured 262 mm in total length (TL) and weighed 178.22 g (Fig. 2). The specimen was identified as E. golanii based on a combination of morphologi­cal characteristics: body elongated and cylindrical in its anterior part, large head, eye covered by adipose eyelid, dorsal fin origin before midpoint, pelvic fin behind dorsal fin base, a single W-shaped pelvic scute at the base of pelvic fins, lack of series of scutes along the belly, scales very deciduous, easily detached, colour dark blue with silvery flanks and belly. The present specimen was as an adult female at stage 4 of maturity, with 4.13 g of gonad weight. Such observation is in agreement with Yarmaz et al. (2010), Boussellaa et al. (2016), Falautano et al. (2006) and Tamsouri et al. (2019). Size at first sexual maturity for E. golanii from the Egyptian Mediterranean waters ranged from 122 to 126 mm in males and from 120 to 131 mm in females (El-Sayed 1996, Osman et al. 2013). Addi­tionally, most of the individuals caught so far have been relatively large adults (Yarmaz et al., 2010). The stomach of this specimen was empty. Boussellaa et al. (2016) noted that E. golanii fed on preys similar to those previously reported, such as zooplankton, mainly copepods and euphausiids rather than fish larvae and molluscs (Froese & Pauly, 2005; Kallianiotis & Lekkas, 2005; Osman et al., 2013; Tanaka et al., 2006). These observations suggest that E. golanii has probably adapted to its new environment. Morphometric and meristic characters of E.golanii were recorded and all data are in total agreement with those from other areas of the central and eastern Mediterranean Sea (Table 1). Therefore, the present finding constitutes the third record of this species in Tunisian waters, based on a single specimen. Seven specimens were captured in southern Tunisia, Gulf of Gabes, and one specimen, described by Rafrafi-Nouira et al. (2017), was singled out from a haul of specimens captured in northern Tunisia, off Ras Jebel, by pelagic trawl following an experienced fisherman aware of local fishing grounds. Additionally, fishermen from north-eastern Tunisia landing at the fishing site of Kélibia reported that this species is occasionally observed together with S. aurita and S. colias. Therefore, the occurrence of E. golanii in the Tunisian coast cannot be ruled out, however further records are needed before con­firming the successful local establishment of the species. Tab. 1: Morphometric measurements and meristic counts recorded for the specimen of Etrumeus golanii spe­cimen caught in the Gulf of Hammamet (ref. ISPAB Etr-gol-01), and those recorded for specimens captured in other Mediterranean areas. Tab. 1: Morfometrične meritve in meristična štetja pri primerku vrste Etrumeus golanii, ujetem v zalivu Hamma-met (ref. ISPAB Etr-gol-01) in pri primerkih, ujetih v drugih predelih Sredozemskega morja. Authors Cyprus (Lymassol) 2000 Golani (2000) Italy (Lampedousa) 2006 Falautano et al. (2006) Turkey (Dikili Strait) 2009 Yarmaz et al. (2009) Turkey (Izmir Bay) 2016 Akyol & Ulaş (2016) Tunisia (Gulf of Gabes) 2014 Boussellaa et al. (2016) Tunisia (Ras Jebel) 2017 Rafrafi-Nouira et al. (2017) Morocco (Alboran Sea) 2018 Tamsouri et al. (2019) Tunisia (Gulf of Hammamet) 2020 Present study Number of specimens 2 1 1 1 7 Measurements (mm) 1 7 1 Total length Fork length -- 231 211 149 138 180 225–265 159 200–243 222 200 252–283 228–260 262 236 Standard length 138–213 202 127 153 165–225 188 215–243 224 Body depth 20.6–42.4 35.6 25 28 34.5–41.3 41.2 43–50 48 Predorsal fin length — 88 59 66 87–102 82.5 92–107 98 Prepectoral fin length — — — 38 — — 46.5–56 52 Preanal fin length — — — 127 — — 175–203 186 Head length 31–53.5 45 19 34 39.2–49.3 44.3 45–52 50 Eye diameter 9.3–18.6 12.44 9 11 10.2–12.5 13 13–15 14 Preorbitary length — — — 12 — — 13–16 15 Dorsal fin base length — 26.6 17 — 24.2–26.1 31.6 31–35 34 Anal fin base length — 9.4 9 — 9–9.5 11 9–12 11 Pelvic fin length — 14.3 — — 14–22 14 14–16 15 Meristic counts Dorsal fin rays 17–20 18 18 17 18 19 18 18 Pectoral fin rays 15–17 15 16 16 16 16 15–16 17 Pelvic fin rays 8–10 8 7 8 8 9 8 8 Anal fin rays 9–10 12 9 9 9 9 9–10 9 An update of the currently known distribution of this species in the Mediterranean is summarized in Figure 1. It is evident that E. golanii is abundantly recorded in the eastern Mediterranean, where viable populations have probably established. Additionally, the species constitutes an important local commercial resource (Akyol & Ulaş, 2016, Corsini et al., 2005, DiBattista et al., 2012). The presence of E. golanii received a positive feedback without any negative impact on local fisheries resources, as reported by Kassar & Hemida in Stamouli et al. (2017) and Tamsouri et al. (2019). In conclusion, the recent observation of an ad­ditional specimen of E. golanii in the central Mediter­ranean Sea (Tunisian waters) may be linked to the environmental parameters, which are becoming more favourable for this species (Tamsouri et al., 2019). As a consequence, we could in the future expect the establishment of a viable population in Tunisian waters confirming the expansion of this species throughout the Mediterranean Sea. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Mr Mohamed Turki captain of the commercial purse-seiner BECHIR (NA 389) from Kélibia fishing site, for providing us the specimen of Etrumeus golani and information about its capture. They also thank two anonymous referees for helpful and useful comments on the MS, allowing to improve its scientific quality. NOV ZAPIS O POJAVLJANJU VRSTE ETRUMEUS GOLANII (OSTEICHTHYES: DUSSUMIERIIDAE) IZ TUNIZIJSKIH VODA S KOMENTARJI O NJENI RAZŠIRJENOSTI V SREDOZEMSKEM MORJU Sami MILI, Rym ENNOURI & Sihem RAFRAFI-NOUIRA Unité de Recherche, Exploitation des Milieux aquatiques, Institut Supérieur de Peche et d’Aquaculture de Bizerte, Université de Carthage, BP 15, 7080 Menzel Jemil, Tunisia Christian CAPAPÉ Laboratoire d’Ichtyologie, case 104, Université de Montpellier , 34095 Montpellier cedex 5, France e-mail: capape@univ-montp2.fr POVZETEK V zalivu Hammamet v tunizijskih vodah so 13. marca 2020 komercialni ribiči v zaporno plavarico ujeli prime-rek vrste Etrumeus golanii (Dussumieriidae). Bila je samica, ki je merila 262 mm v dolžino in tehtala 178,22 g. O ulovljenem primerku avtorji podajajo morfometrične meritve in meristične podatke. Novi podatek o pojavljanju vrste E. golanii potrjuje hitro razširjanje te lesepske selivke v Sredozemskem morju. 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ONESNAŽEVANJE OKOLJA INQUINAMENTO DELL’AMBIENTE ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION received: 2020-01-27 DOI 10.19233/ASHN.2020.14 RESEARCH AND CHARACTERIZATION OF DETERMINANTS CONTROLLING THE ACCUMULATION OF CERTAIN METALS IN THE LEAVES OF DYSPHANIA AMBROSIOIDES Ouassima RIFFI, Jamila FLIOU,, Mohammed ELHOURRI, Mostafa EL IDRISSI, Ali AMECHROUQ Laboratory of Molecular Chemistry and Natural Substance, Moulay Ismail University, Faculty of Science, B.P. 11201 Zitoune, Meknes, Morocco e-mail: alienseignant@gmail.com Fatimazahra BENADDI & Said CHAKIR Laboratory of Environment and Health, Department of Biology, University Moulay Ismail, Faculty of Science, BP 11201, Zitoune, Meknes, Morocco ABSTRACT In this research, we are interested in the study of the leaves of the plant Dysphasia ambrosioides and its extracts: on the one hand, by IR spectroscopic analysis, thermogravimetry (TGA), and determination of metals by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (SAA); and on the other, carrying out phytochemical screening of extracts of leaves of D. ambrosioides. Key words: heavy metals, Dysphasia ambrosioides, pollution, alkaloids, tannins, glycosids, flavonoids RICERCA E CARATTERIZZAZIONE DEI DETERMINANTI CHE CONTROLLANO L’ACCUMULO DI ALCUNI METALLI NELLE FOGLIE DI DYSPHANIA AMBROSIOIDES SINTESI In questa ricerca gli autori si sono interessati allo studio delle foglie della pianta Dysphasia ambrosioides e dei suoi estratti: da un lato, mediante analisi spettroscopica IR, termogravimetria (TGA) e determinazione dei metalli mediante spettrofotometro ad assorbimento atomico (SAA); e dall’altro, effettuando lo screening fitochimico di estratti di foglie di D. ambrosioides. Parole chiave: metalli pesanti, Dysphasia ambrosioides, inquinamento, alcaloidi, tannini, glicosidi, flavonoidi 113 INTRODUCTION Today, a significant percentage of the drugs author­ized by government agencies are naturally occurring molecules, or compounds derived therefrom (about 50%). As a consequence, there is a significant potential for discovering new molecules of therapeutic interest in plants. Among these plants we chose to study the Dys­phasia ambrosioides (L) Mosyakin & Clemants. It is a wild species of tropical America naturalized in the Old World, an upright herb, annual or perennial, with a more or less pubescent branching stem. It is commonly employed as an antimicrobial, antifungal (Paul et al.,1993; Boutkhil et al., 2009; Boutkhil et al., 2011; Cicera et al., 2018), anti-rheumatic, analgesic (Okuyama et al., 1993), sedative, antipyretic (Gadano et al., 2006), also used for the treat­ment of respiratory, urogenital disorders, and vascular, nervous, and metabolic disorders such as diabetes and high cholesterol (Cruz et al., 2007), due to its cytotoxic (Ruth et al., 2015), antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-Leishmanial activities (Monzotea et al., 2014; Luz et al., 2017; Reyes-Becerril et al., 2019). Among pollutants generated by industrial activities, heavy metals (i.e., Cu, Pb, Cr, etc.) pose several concerns. These elements readily bio-accumulate and have a recog­nised eco-toxicity. Moreover, they are involved in several pathologies (in the central nervous system, liver, kidneys; and can also cause cancers and embryonic malforma­tions) (Abrahams et al., 2002). Today, a lot of research investigates the impact of heavy metals on the rate of germination and plant growth. For example, Mihoub et al., (2005) showed that during the germination of pea seeds (Pisum Sativum (L.)), the cotyledons in stressed grains gradually accumulate Cd and Cu, and retain high contents of Fe, Mg, and Zn. Some plants have little or no tolerance and die in contact with heavy metals. Others have defence reac­tions, and slow absorption by secreting acids which will increase the pH and consequently reduce the mobility of trace elements. Others are metal tolerant, and even accumulate them, concentrating them. These plants are said to be “hyper-accumulative” and metallophilic. The trace elements are absorbed by the roots and most often stay there. The translocation in the aerial parts (stems, leaves) varies depending on the metal and indicates an increase in the concentration of metals in the soil. Lead remains in the roots, while Cd passes more easily through the aerial parts. Studies have shown that certain plants, called metallophytes, are capable of developing normally on sites highly contaminated with various metals and some of these plants, qualified as hyper-accumulators (Brooks, 1998), are capable of massively storing metals in their aerial parts. There is also phyto-extraction, based on the use of hyper-accumulative plants, which absorb metals from the soil and accumulate them in aerial organs (McGrath, 1998). This method is effective for a wide variety of heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Ni, Zn…). Phenolic compounds are a widely used class of secondary metabolites and are located in the vacuoles of plant cells, in the intercellular space as well as on the surface of plants. They form a large group of compounds which include simple phenols, such as phenolic acids, flavonoids (flavones, flavonols and anthocyanins) and polymerized phenols, such as tannins and lignins. They participate in defence reactions against pathogens, and in allelopathy protect cell structures from the unwanted effects of excess photochemical energy and ultraviolet radiation, especially UV-B rays. Phenolic compounds found in flowers and fruits have the property to colour these organs (Winkel-Shirley, 2001). In this research, a preliminary investigation in order to study the leaves of the D. ambrosioides plant by de­termining its chemical composition was conducted by IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and determination of metals by atomic absorption spectro­photometer (SAA). A phytochemical screening for other compounds present in the aqueous extract was performed as well. MATERIAL AND METHODS Collection of samples The leaves of Dysphasia ambrosioides were collected during spring, 2019, at Ain Orma park (33°53’36”N 5°32’50”W), which is located between the cities of Meknes and Khemissat, in the region of Fes-Meknes (Morocco). After collection, the leaves of the plant were washed separately, dried at room temperature in a dry and ven­tilated space, and protected from light to avoid loss of active substances. After drying, the various organs were finely ground and powdered using an electric mill. The powder obtained was stored in closed jars and kept in absence of light. Analytical techniques Infrared spectroscopy was used to identify the chemi­cal functions of organic molecules. Briefly, the infrared radiation is an electromagnetic radiation with a wave­length greater than that of the visible light but shorter than that of the microwave light. The infrared domain studied was between 4000 cm-1 and 400 cm-1, which corresponds to the vibration energy domain of the bonds. The apparatus used in this analysis was Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (IR-TR) type JASCO 4100. Thermogravimetric analysis is a thermal analysis tech­nique which consists of measuring the mass of a sample when it is subjected to temperature variations (or time) in an inert environment (Nitrogen, Argon, or Helium for high-temperature tests), or oxidant (dioxygen). The ther­mogravimetric analysis device (TGA) employed was the Shimadzu thermal analysis type. The curves recorded for temperature ranged from 0 °C to 700 °C. The heating rate was equal to 10 °C/min. For mineralization and dosing, 6 g of sample were put in a porcelain dish and calcined at 600 oC in a muffle fur­nace (t=6 hours). The ash obtained was mineralized with 75% HNO3 in a beaker and then brought to dryness until the mineralization discoloured (t=4 hours). The residue was filtered on Whatman-type filter paper. The determination of heavy metals was carried out using a flame atomic absorption spectrometer (Shimadzu-type model AA-7000). The device was controlled by WIZARD software. A hollow cathode lamp (Hamamatsu Photonics K.K.) was used as the radiation source and a deuterium lamp for the correction of non-specific absorp­tions. The carrier gas used for the flame was a mixture of air-acetylene. The standard solutions were prepared by diluting the stock solutions with a concentration of 1000 mg/L. The calibration range was prepared according to the element to be assayed. Several procedures were used to determine the dif­ferent chemical groups contained in a plant organ. These are tests based on solubility tests, colouring, and precipi­tation reactions, as well as exams under ultraviolet light. The quantitative study of the raw extract by means of spectrophotometric assays aimed at determining the total content of total polyphenols, total flavonoids, and con­densed tannins. Three calibration curves were drawn for this objective and carried out for each type of assay. The results in gallic acid, quercetin and catechin equivalent are expressed in mg/g of dry matter. Fifty grams of the powder was added to 500 mL of absolute ethanol, the mixture stirred for 24 hours at 4 °C, then let stand for a few hours. The mixture was then filtered through glass wool and then through sintered glass (funnel N° 03), the filtrate stored at 4 °C until use. The determination of the total polyphenols was carried out by the Folin-Ciocalteu method described by Wende et al., (2007) with some modifications. This colorimetric method is based on the reduction of the phosphotungsten-phosphomolybdenum complex of Folin reagent by the phenolic groups of the samples, yielding products of blue colouring in alkaline media. Briefly, 0.1 mL of the extract of was added to 2.5 mL of distilled water and 0.5 mL of Folin reagent. After 5 min, 1.0 mL of sodium carbonate (20%) was added to the reaction mixture and the whole incubated for 1 hour at room tem­perature. The absorbance was read at 765 nm using a UV spectrophotometer. The results are expressed in milligram equivalent of gallic acid/g of dry extract with reference to the calibration curve of gallic acid. The determination of flavonoids was carried out ac­cording to the method of aluminium trichloride (AlCl3) (Bahorun et al., 1996); 1 mL of each extract (prepared in methanol) with suitable dilutions was added to 1 mL of the AlCl3 solution (2% in methanol). After 10 minutes of incubation and reaction, the absorbance was read at 430 nm using a UV spectrophotometer. The results are expressed in mg equivalent of quercetin/g of dry extract with reference to the standard curve for quercetin. The dosage of condensed tannins was carried out for the extract according to the method of Richard et al., (1978) and Heimler et al., (2006). At 400 µL of each sample or standard (prepared in methanol and in distilled water for Aq. E.) with suitable dilutions, 3 mL of the vanil­lin solution (4% in methanol) and 1.5 mL of concentrated HCl were added. After 15 min, the absorption was read at 500 nm. The concentration of tannins is deduced from the calibration range established with catechin and ex­pressed in milligrams of catechin equivalent per gram of dry extract (mg EC/mg ES). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The water content in samples is 4.48 %, which is a low value. Several factors could influence the water and dry matter content of the plant, such as the nature of the fibres, the age of the plant, the condition of the soil, and the shelf life of the plant after harvest. The in­frared spectroscopic analyses of the calcined samples at temperatures of 110 °C, 325 °C, 450 °C and 600 °C are illustrated in Figure 1. The IR spectrum shows the presence of a broad and intense band around 3500 cm-1 attributable to the valence vibration band of the alcohol function ., and another (O-H) band which appears around 2900 cm-1 attributable to the valence vibration band .. Similarly, we note the (C-H) presence of a thin band around 1700 cm-1 relating to the valence vibration band of .. All of these bands (C=O) assume that the powder contains organic molecules hav­ing alcohol and ketone. Fliou et al., 2019 analysed the Daphne gnidium L. plant by infrared spectroscopy. The results obtained are similar to those found in this work. At temperatures of 110 °C and 325 °C, we notice the persistence of the valence vibration bands: ., ., and (OH)(C-H) .and a decrease in their intensity. At 450 °C, there (C=O) is the disappearance of two bands relating to the vibra­tion bands of the alcohol and ketone functions, and the appearance of a new band around 1480 cm-1 relating to the valence vibration band Ca (CaCO3). This could be ex­plained by the beginning of the disappearance of organic matter. At 600 °C, we notice the disappearance of organic matter, and the appearance of the bands relative to other mineral elements such as kaolinite, smectite, calcite and silicon oxide (Fig. 2) (Hachi et al., 2002). Fig. 2: IR spectrum of powdered leaves of D. ambro­sioides at 600 °C. (K: Kaolinite [Al2Si2O5(OH)4], MO: Organic matter, S: Smectite, Calcite [CaCO3]: Silicon oxide [SiO2]). Sl. 2: IR spekter listov v prahu vrste D. ambrosioides pri 600 °C. (K: Kaolinit [Al2Si2O5(OH)4], MO: Organ-ska snov, S: Smectit, Kalcit [CaCO3]: Silicijev dioksid [SiO2]). To follow the loss of sample mass during the rise of temperature, we used thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The temperatures related to degradation rates were evaluated. The thermo-gram obtained is shown in Figure 3. The thermal degradation of the sample can be identi­fied by the decrease in its weight. The difference in mass is due to the endothermic and exothermic combustion reactions that occur. The transformation process is characterized by thermal degradation presented by 3 stages: the first corresponds to a mass loss of 0.747 mg or 11.87 %. This loss, which is observed at a temperature of 110 °C, is attributed to the evaporation of the water contained in the plant. The second step is observed at 325 °C, corresponding to the start of the thermal degradation of organic matter with a mass loss of 3.477 mg or 55.25%. Finally, the third stage, at 454.87 °C, records a mass loss of 1.315 mg or 20.90% and is related to the total destruction of organic matter (Tab. 1). Tab. 1: Mass loss of leaves of D. ambrosioides as an effect of temperature. Tab. 1: Izguba mase listov vrste D. ambrosioides pri različnih temperaturah. Plant Step Temperature A loss of mass (%) Powder leaves of Dysphania ambrosioides 1 110 °C 11.87 2 325 °C 67.12 3 600 °C 88.02 The ATD diagram of the plant shows peaks indicating the different degradation reactions. An endothermic peak at 70.62 °C is attributed to the evaporation of absorbed water and two exothermic peaks, at 324.04 and 468.36 °C, are attributed to the degradation of organic matter. Indeed, the results of the calcinations confirm those of differential thermal analysis (DTA) by the loss of half of the organic matter at a temperature of 300 °C, and that this loss is considerable at 600 °C. The contents of heavy metal are presented in Table 2. The results revealed a high retention of Na and Ca, with a content of 22.117 and 37.2633 mg/kg, respective­ly. These concentrations are below the authorized limit. Other elements such as Fe, Cu, Zn and Li are present at low contents, while Cd, Pb, K are almost non-existent. These results show that all the heavy metal contents are Tab. 2: Heavy metal content in leaves of D. ambrosio-ides. Tab. 2: Vsebnost kovin v listih vrste D. ambrosioides. Metalelement Content (mg/kg) Content normal in plants by OMS (mg/kg) Normal concentration (mg/Kg) (Kabata-Pendias, 1986) Heavy metal content in the human body (mg/ kg) (according to Schroeder, 1967) Iron (Fe) 1.5175 - - 60 Copper (Cu) 0.1256 150 - 1 Zinc (Zn) 1.1637 - 27 - 150 33 Cadmium (Cd) 0.003 0.3 0.05 - 0.2 - Lead (Pb) 0.0145 10 5 - 10 - Sodium (Na) 22.127 - - 800 Lithium (Li) 0.1154 - - - Potassium (K) 0.008 - - - Calcium (Ca) 37.2633 - - 19000 Tab. 3: Results of phytochemical screening of the extract of D. ambrosioides. (-): Absence, (+): Pre­sence. Tab. 3: Tab. 3: Rezultati fitokemičnega pregleda izvlečkov vrste D. ambrosioides. (-): Odsotnost, (+): Prisotnost. Aqueous extract of the leaves of D. ambrosioides Alkaloids + Tannins Catechic tannins + Gallic tannins - Anthracenederivatives Free anthracene - Anthracenecombined O-heteroside - Heterosidegenin - C-heteroside - flavonoids Anthocyanins - Flavones - Flavanones - Flavonols - Leucoanthocyanins + Catechol - Saponosides - Sterols and tri-terpenes +++ Mucilage + Oses and holosides +++ Prothocyanidols - Iridoids - lower than the standards proposed by the WHO, Kabata-Pendias, (1986) and Schroeder, (1967). This suggests that D. ambrosioides is not toxic with these trace elements. The results of total polyphenols, total flavonoids, and condensed tannins contents in the aqueous extract are summarized in Table 3. Photochemical screening revealed the richness in this plant of secondary metabolites, such as alkaloids, catechic tannins, flavonoids (Leucoanthocyans), sterols and tri-terpenes, mucilages, oses and holosides. These results were found by Oliveira et al. (2017), who dem­onstrated that these secondary metabolites found in D. ambrosioides have positive effects in the fight against cattle ticks. The results also show the absence of certain families, such as gallic tannins, anthracene derivatives, antho­cyanins, flavones, flavonones, flavonols, catechols, saponosides, prothocyanidols and iridoids. The latter are considered to be powerful allelopathic agents, that is to say that they produce secondary metabolites which can alter the growth and/or the development of other systems (Rodrigues et al., 2009; Lôbo et al., 2008). The concentration of total polyphenols is based on the regression equation (r2=0.992) of the calibration range established with gallic acid (Fig. 4). It is expressed in milligrams of gallic acid equivalents per gram of the dry extract (mg EAG/g ES). Absorbance (%) 1 0,8 0,6 0,4 0,2 0 -0,2 0 10 20 30 40 50 y = 0.0094x -0.0447 R2 = 0.9929 60 70 80 90 Concentration of Gallic acid (µg/mL) Fig. 4: Gallic acid calibration curve for the determina­tion of total phenols. Sl. 4: Umeritvena krivulja galne kisline za določevanje celokupnih fenolov These results suggest that the ethanoic extract is rich in total phenolic compounds, with a content of 42.57 mg EAG/g ES. Previous works (Nowak et al., 2016) on Cheno-podium (L.) showed that the highest levels of polyphenols were observed in Chenopodium album (3.36 mg/g DW), seeds of Chenopodium urbicum (3.87 mg / g DW) and C. urbicum roots (1.52 mg/g DW). According to Dini et al., (2010) the seeds of bitter Chenopodium quinoa contain 86.4 mg of AGE/10 g DW and of sweet C. quinoa 77.2 mg of AGE/10 g DW. Chenopodium pallidicaule has a higher total polyphenol content of 413 mg GAE/100 g DW (Dasgupta et al., 2007). The concentration of flavonoids was deduced from the calibration ranges established with quercetin (Fig. 5). It is expressed in milligrams of quercetin equivalent per gram of the dry extract (mg EQ/g ES). According to the calibra­tion curve, the total content of flavonoids extracted from the extract of D. ambrosioides leaves with ethanol is of the order of 20.19 (mg EQ/g ES). Fig. 5: Quercetin calibration curve for the assay of flavonoids. Sl. 5: : Umeritvena krivulja za kvercetin za analizo flavonoidov. The concentration of flavonoids was determined us­ing the spectrophotometric method in the presence of aluminium chloride. The results obtained showed that the concentration of flavonoids in the extract is 20.19 mg EQ/g of ES. This value is lower than the value found by Tanzeel et al., (2018), either a content of 57±1.41 µgQE/ mg of extract. Sajjad et al., (2016) have explained this variation in phenolic and flavonoid compounds in dif­ferent parts of the plant by the polarity of the solvent and with antioxidant and medicinal properties. The calibra­tion curve was constructed using catechin as a reference standard (Fig. 6). According to the calibration curve, the content of con­densed tannins in the extract of leaves of D. ambrosioides is of the order of 38.78 (mg EQ/g ES). The results showed that the content of condensed tannins in the ethanoic extract of the leaves of D. ambrosioides is 38.78 mg EQ/g ES. Upon comparison of these results with those of Ksouri et al. (2009) on Tamarix gallica, whose leaves recorded a total activity of 14.66 mg EAG/g DM, we note that the content of condensed tannins in the ethanoic extract of the leaves of D. ambrosioides can be considered to have strong antioxidant activity because they are very good scavengers for free radicals and also inhibit the formation of superoxide radicals. CONCLUSIONS Infrared spectroscopic analysis and differential ther­mal analysis have shown that the plant D. ambrosioides undergoes a loss of organic matter as the temperature increases. The remaining mineral matter was analysed by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The results showed that the plant contained certain metallic elements in small quantities, such as Na, Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn and Li, while the content of Cd and Pb was almost non-existent. Phytochemical screening of the extracts showed a signifi­cant presence of total polyphenols, total flavonoids and condensed tannins. RAZISKAVA O DEJAVNIKIH, KI VPLIVAJO NA KOPIČENJE NEKATERIH KOVIN V LISTIH VRSTE DYSPHANIA AMBROSIOIDES Ouassima RIFFI, Jamila FLIOU,, Mohammed ELHOURRI, Mostafa EL IDRISSI, Ali AMECHROUQ Laboratory of Molecular Chemistry and Natural Substance, Moulay Ismail University, Faculty of Science, B.P. 11201 Zitoune, Meknes, Morocco e-mail: alienseignant@gmail.com Fatimazahra BENADDI & Said CHAKIR Laboratory of Environment and Health, Department of Biology, University Moulay Ismail, Faculty of Science, BP 11201, Zitoune, Meknes, Morocco POVZETEK V pričujoči raziskavi so avtorji raziskovali liste rastline Dysphasia ambrosioides in njihove izvlečke z uporabo IR spektroskopske analize, termogravimetrije (TGA), določali kovine z atomsko absorpcijsko spektrofotometrijo (SAA) ter opravili fitokemični pregled izvlečkov listov vrste D. ambrosioides. Ključne besede: težke kovine, Dysphasia ambrosioides, onesnaženje, alkaloidi, tanini, glikozidi, flavonoidi REFERENCES Abrahams, P.W. 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DELO NAŠIH ZAVODOV IN DRUŠTEV ATTIVITA DEI NOSTRI ISTITUTI E SOCIETA ACTIVITIES BY OUR INSTITUTIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS SREČANJE ZNANOSTI O OCEANIH (OCEAN SCIENCE MEETING - OSM) Ameriški združenji za geofiziko (AGU), za znanost limnologije in oceanografije (ASLO) in Društvo za oce­anografijo (TOS) so organizirali največjo letošnjo kon­ferenco raziskovalcev in drugih zainteresiranih, ki se ukvarjajo z vodami, rekami, jezeri, estuariji, podtalnimi vodami, morji in oceani. Srečanje Znanosti o oceanih (Ocean Science Meeting - OSM) je potekalo v centru San Diega, ZDA, od 17. do 20. februarja 2020. Moto letošnjega srečanja je bil »For a Resilient Planet« (Za vzdržljiv planet) in poziv, da lahko le partnerstvo razi­skovalcev, z vladami in javnostjo, omogoči ohranjanje zdravih oceanov, zagotavlja varno in trajno preskrbo s hrano ter pomaga ublažiti posledice podnebnih spre­memb. Združeni narodi so obdobje od 2021 do 2030 označili za »Desetletje znanosti o oceanu za trajnostni razvoj«, da bi spodbudili mednarodno usklajevanje in sodelovanje v raziskovalnih in znanstvenih programih za boljše upravljanje z viri oceanov in obalnih območij ter zmanjšali nevarnosti. Srečanja se je udeležilo 6300 raziskovalcev iz 66 držav, od tega je bilo kar 32 % študentov. Žal je sre-čanje odpovedalo veliko število raziskovalcev zaradi širjenja korona virusa. Raziskovalni dosežki so bili predstavljeni v 16 različnih sekcijah, s predavanji (1820 raziskovalcev) ali posterji (3233 posterjev). Sekcije so vključevale vsebine s področij fizikalne oceanografije, morske ekologije, biodiverzitete, biologije in biogeo­kemije, mikrobiologije in molekularne ekologije, mor­ske geologije, sedimentologije, kot tudi predstavitve rezultatov prognostičnih modelov, procesov v obalnih morjih in estuarijih, interakcij zrak - morje, fizikalne in biološke interakcije, razvoja opazovalnih sistemov, inštrumentov in senzorjev, zakisevanja, hipoksij in po­sledic klimatskih sprememb, kot tudi socio-ekonomske vidike in izobraževanje. Srečanje se je pričelo s plenarnim predavanjem Nainoa Thompson, havajskega domorodca, ki je po starem polinezijskem izročilu izdelal kanu Hokule‘a in opremljen s tradicionalnimi navigacijskimi apara­turami jadra po svetu. Kot predsednik Polinezijskega združenja za plovbo, neprofitne raziskovalne in izo-braževalne organizacije, je pred kratkim zaključil štiri­letno potovanje po svetu, kjer se je srečeval z ljudmi, svetovnimi voditelji in predaval kako pomembno je, da ohranjamo kulturno dediščino, skrbimo za narav­ne vire, ohranjamo zdrav ocean in ščitimo ogrožena območja. Združenja vsako leto podelijo vrsto nagrad za odmevne raziskovalne dosežke in življenjsko delo. Letošnjo nagrado za življenjsko delo (Watsonovo nagrado) je prejela Heidi Sosik (Woods Hole ­WHOI), ki se ukvarja z ekologijo mikroorganizmov, njihovo morfološko in taksonomsko raznolikostjo in interakcijami med organizmi. S sodelavci je razvila podvodni avtomatski sistem za opazovanje in sne­manje mikroskopskih organizmov, ki predstavljajo pomemben člen v prehranski verigi, sodelujejo pri iz­menjavi plinov in s tem vplivajo na zemeljsko klimo, občasno pa povzročajo škodljiva cvetenja in s tem vplivajo na zdravje ljudi. Erik van Sebille, oceanograf z Univerze Utrecht za projekt Tracking of plastic in our Sea (TOPIOS), ki proučuje poti prenosa/širjenja plastike v oceanih s ciljem, da ustvari 3D zemljevid onesnaženja oceanov s plastiko in omogoči sledenje do izvora. Nagrado Ocean Science Meeting 2020 za prepoznaven prispevek mladega raziskovalca v pre­teklem letu je prejela Cristina Romera-Castillo (In-stitut de Ciencies del Mar, CSIC) za odmeven članek o visokih koncentracijah raztopljenega organskega ogljika v oceanu, ki so posledica sproščanja organ-skih spojin s plastike. Sybil Seitzinger (Univerza v Viktoriji) je bila nagrajena za dolgoletne dosežke na področju limnologije in oceanografije na področju raziskav, izobraževanja in ozaveščanja. Medaljo Mary Sears je prejela Jane Lubchenco (Oregon State University) za objave inovativnih in pomembnih raziskav na področju biološke oceanografije in za izjemne prispevke k izobraževanju in mentorstvu na tem področju. Nagrada AGU Sverdrup Award Lec­ture je prejela Mary-Louise Timmermans (Univerza Yale) za odlične prispevke o atmosferi in oceanih ter za spodbujanje sodelovanja pri atmosferskih in oceanografskih raziskavah. Zaključno predavanje je podala Margaret Leinen, direktorica Scripps inštituta za oceanografijo. Leinen je prejemnica številnih nagrad, z bogatimi nacio­nalnimi in mednarodnimi izkušnjami na področju oceanske znanosti, globalnih podnebnih in okoljskih vprašanj, sicer pa paleo-oceanografijna in paleo-kli­matologinja. Na raziskovalnem področju je prouče­vala predvsem sedimente oceanov in biogeokemične cikle, spremembe oceanov in podnebja. Predsedovala je Nacionalni znanstveni fundaciji (NSF) in neposre­dno vplivala na nekatere najpomembnejše programe na področju morskih znanosti ter povezav z atmosfero in kopnim. V svojem predavanju je predstavila časov­ni niz objav in poročil ključnih raziskav, strokovnih srečanj in pozivov raziskovalcev, ki so privedli do sprejetja dokumenta Združenih narodov Desetletje znanosti oceanov za trajnostni razvoj (2021-2030). Tako je postavljen okvir prioritetnih področij, nujna je mednarodna koordinacija in sodelovanja, ki omogo-čajo okrepitev raziskovalnih zmogljivosti na področju morskih ved in prenosa tehnologij. Na srečanju smo raziskovalci z Morske biološke postaje Piran Nacionalnega inštituta za biologijo sodelovali s prispevki v različnih sekcijah. Alenka Malej s prispevkom o spremembah zooplanktona v toplejšem in bolj oligotrofnem morju, Valentina Turk s predstavitvijo rezultatov patogenih bakterij z naslovom »The adaptation of selected pathogenic microbes to elevated temperature and their detection In Situ in the coastal marine environment«, ter mlada raziskovalka Neža Orel s predstavitvijo rezultatov z naslovom »Response of the ambient marine micro­bial community to a mixture of pollutants in the coastal ecosystem«. V prostornem kongresnem centru, ki sprejme 125.000 obiskovalcev in ga je načrtoval kanadski arhitekt Arthur Erickson, je 57200 m2 dvoran in razstavnega prostora. Na OSM je sodelovalo več kot 350 razstavljavcev 122 različnih podjetij in 55 lokal­nih in mednarodnih novinarjev. Potekale so številne predstavitve različnih mednarodnih projektov. Po dvajsetih letih sem ponovno obiskala San Diego, slikovito obmorsko mesto v Kaliforniji, ki mu daje poseben pečat bližina Mehike in ime Scripps, ki se pojavlja na številnih oglasih, imenih podjetjih, raziskovalnih in izobraževalnih inštitutov. Ellen Browning Scripps je bila ameriška žurnalistka, solastnica največje časopisne verige v Ameriki in filantropistka, ki je s svojimi donacijami podpirala nekatere velike inštitute v Južni Kaliforniji. Po kon­ferenci smo se udeležili srečanja bivših študentov in sodelavcev ob obletnici izjemnega raziskovalnega opusa prof. Farooq Azama na Scripps inštitutu za oceanografijo. Kot Fulbright štipendistka sem imela priložnost, da sem leta 2000 sodelovala z njim in njegovimi raziskovalci. Srečanja so se udeležili vidni raziskovalci na področju morske mikrobne ekologije in virologije, med njimi Jed Furman, Ake Hägstrom, Meinhard Simon, Forest Rohwer, Lihini Aluwihare, Koji Hamasaki, Kay Bidle, Mayali Xavier in Brian Palenik. Farooq Azam je raziskovalec in profesor morske mikrobiologije na oddelku za Morsko biologijo in Centru za morsko biotehnologijo in biomedicino, Scripps inštituta za oceanografijo, Univerze v Ka­liforniji, San Diego. Azamove primarne raziskave so s področja ekologije morskih bakterij in virusov, njihove raznolikosti in populacijske dinamike. S sodelavci je bil tvorec teorije mikrobne zanke, v za-četku 80 let. Njegove študije vključujejo biokemične in molekularne prilagoditve bakterij na življenje v oceanskem okolju, pomen bakterij in virusov v ciklu oceanskega ogljika, v procesih razgradnje organske snovi in v strukturi in delovanju prehranskih spletov v oceanu. Je prejemnik številnih nagrad in odlikovanja kot je UCSD Excellence in Research Award (1997), nagrada Plymouth Marine Sciences Partnership (1996), G. Evelyn Hutchinson Medalja Ameriškega društva za limnologijo in oceanografijo (1995), me-dalja Rosenstiel za oceanografske znanosti Miami‘s School of Marine and Atmospheric University iz Miamija (1984). Leta 2004 je bil Azam izvoljen v Ameriško akademijo za mikrobiologijo in isto leto prejel »honoris causa«, častni doktorat na Univerzi Kalmar na Švedskem in od mednarodnega društva za mikrobiološko ekologijo prejel inauguracijsko Tiedje nagrado za izjemne dosežke na področju mikrobne ekologije. Farooq Azam je večkrat obiskal Morsko biološko postajo Piran, z njim smo skupaj z itali­janskimi in hrvaškimi kolegi sodelovali na projektu CREICO ter nato tudi v okviru bilateralnega projekta. Počastil nas je tudi z uvodnim predavanem ob otvo­ritvi mednarodnega simpozija mikrobne ekologije SAME11 (Symposium on Aquatic Microbial Ecology), leta 2009, ki se ga je udeležilo 210 domačih in tujih raziskovalcev iz 30 različnih držav. Simpozij je orga­nizirala Morska biološka postaja Piran Nacionalnega inštituta za biologijo, ob svoji 40-letnici, potekal pa je pod pokroviteljstvom takratnega predsednika države dr. Danila Türka. Valentina Turk Morska biološka postaja Piran, Nacionalni inštitut za biologijo 126 OCENE IN POROČILA RECENSIONI E RELAZIONI REVIEWS AND REPORTS Book review: A MINIATURE OCEAN Authors: Lovrenc Lipej, Manja Rogelja & Borut Mavrič Editor: High school, electrical and naval school Piran (GEPŠ), 221 pp. I was asked to prepare my scientific opinion re­garding the manuscript of the monograph entitled “A miniature ocean”. This manuscript is dealing with the Aquarium in Piran, an institution with long tradition in the Slovenian coastal town. The monograph with 222 pages is a remarkable compilation of data, concerning the Piran Aquarium and its scientific and educational role in the northern Adri­atic area. Opening chapters offer a short description of the history of aquaristics and the roles of modern aquariums. The authors are trying to convey the importance of aquaria from different aspects, such as marine biology, nature conservation, education, cultural role and populari­zation. Separate chapter is dealing with the scientific contribution the staff of the Piran Aquarium made together with the partner institutions, such as the Marine Biology Station Pi-ran of the National Institute of Biology, in publishing in scientific literature, with special regards to invasive species, tropicalization, and rare, less known and endangered species. A spe­cial chapter is dedicated to the functioning of the Piran Aquarium from various aspects, such as animal col­lection and husbandry, life support systems, etc. The bulk of the monography presents a survey of algal and animal species, which are regularly or occasionally displayed in the tanks of Piran Aquarium. One hundred and seventy species are presented in this chapter. A key for understanding various definitions is presented before the list itself, so the reader has no problem in understanding what certain labels mean. Every single species is presented on one page with a close-up photograph, a short description, its size, habitat and distribution. Finally, if there are any facts the reader may find interesting, they are mentioned at the very end of the page. This chapter is followed by a diction­ary where all scientific terms are explained, by index of Latin and Slovenian names of species, literature and presentation of the authors. The monograph is illus­trated with more than 230 excellent color photographs and some original illustrations in black and white. Since books such as this one are not common in scientific literature, it is quite difficult to compare it and asses its value. However, it is a valuable contribution since it presents in detail an important Slovenian institu­tion and shows the importance such institution has to the local community, also demonstrating the wide range of activities done by the staff of the Aquarium. One of the most important tasks is certainly raising the awareness of how rich the Adriatic Sea actually is. To my opinion the value of this book is in detailing various contributions the Aquarium has made to the scientific community and providing an overview of ma­rine turtles rehabilitation cases. The monography is also trying to present the importance of new processes such as bioinvasion and tropicalization in modifying the floral and faunal communities in the northern Adriatic Sea. The survey of aquarium species is also a valuable part, since it could provide help to professionals working in the field of education. The monography “A miniature ocean” is to my opin­ion a valuable contribution as it presents finer points of good aquarium practice to a wider public, while also turning the reader’s attention to the richness and diversity of the Adriatic Sea. Milena Mičić Director of Aquarium Pula KAZALO K SLIKAM NA OVITKU SLIKA NA NASLOVNICI: Zajedavci so pomemben, a velikokrat spregledan vidik morske biodiverzitete. Po-gosto se zgodi, da na ribjih gostiteljih najdemo vrste zajedavcev, ki so slabo poznane ali zelo redke. Takšen je tudi primer zajedavskega ceponožca vrste Demoleus heptatus, ki je bil najden na primerku morskega psa šesteroškrgarja (Hexanchus griseus) v Izoli januarja 2018. (Foto: D. Trkov) Sl. 1: Pranica na posnetku je ličinka rakov enakonožcev iz družine Gnathiidae. Ličinka je zajedavka na raznih vrstah obrežnih rib. (Foto: D. Trkov) Sl. 2: Zajedavski raki ceponožci iz rodu Caligus zajedajo številne vrste rib. Na svetu jih živi več kot 220 različnih vrst, med njimi tudi takšne, ki povzročajo gospodarsko škodo. (Foto: D. Trkov) Sl. 3: Endoparazite najdemo znotraj ribjega gostitelja. Čeprav nekateri povzročajo škodo na komercialno pomembnih ribah, je o njihovi biologiji le malo znanega. To velja tudi za sesače (Trematoda). (Foto: D. Trkov) Sl. 4: Trije predstavniki rakov ceponožcev iz rodu Caligus, od katerih imata dva jajčne filamente, so bili najdeni na velikem prisesniku (Lepadogaster candolii). (Foto: D. Trkov) Sl. 5: Ribja uš, predstavnica skupine zajedavskih rakov enakonožcev iz družine Cymothoidae, je vidna za očesom dolgonosega morskega konjička (Hippocampus guttulatus). (Foto: L. Lipej) Sl. 6: Morski travniki kolenčaste cimodoceje (Cymodocea nodosa) so pomembna življenjska okolja, ki nudijo veliko ekosistemskih servisov. V zadnjem desetletju raziskovalci poročajo o tem, da se morski travniki soočajo z drastičnim krčenjem. (Foto: L. Lipej) INDEX TO IMAGES ON THE COVER FRONT COVER: Parasites are an important, although often neglected part of marine biodiversity. Findings of rare and less-known parasites in fish hosts are frequent. Such was also the case of the parasitic copepod Demoleus heptatus found in the bluntnose sixgill shark (Hexanchus griseus) in Izola (Slovenia) in January 2018. (Photo: D. Trkov) Fig. 1: Praniza is the larval stage of marine isopods of the family Gnathiidae. It parasitizes various species of coastal fish. (Photo: D. Trkov) Fig. 2: Parasitic copepods of the genus Caligus infest many fish species. There are more than 220 different species known, some of them causing substantial economic damage. (Photo: D. Trkov) Fig. 3: Endoparasites live inside the bodies of their fish host. Although some represent a threat to commercially important fish, their basic biology remains poorly investigated. That is also true of trematodes. (Photo: D. Trkov) Fig. 4: Three copepods of the genus Caligus, two of them with filamentous egg strings, were found in the Connemara clingfish (Lepadogaster candolii). (Photo: D. Trkov) Fig. 5: The cymothoid sea louse, a representative of the group of parasitic isopods, can be seen behind the eye of the long-snouted sea horse (Hippocampus guttulatus). (Photo: L. Lipej) Fig. 6: Seagrass meadows of Cymodocea nodosa are important habitats, known to provide many different ecosystem services. Over the past decade, scientists have reported that seagrass meadows are faced with a drastic shrinkage of their coverage. (Photo: L. Lipej)