-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Temporal and spatial variation in density, biomass and body size of littoral fish species associated with nearshore Posidonia oceanica meadows was studied over an annual cycle in an area of the eastern Mediterranean Sea. A total of 109,350 littoral fishes were collected, belonging to 34 families and 88 species. Density of fishes peaked during the summer due to high numbers of juveniles. Season was a significant factor determining density, although number of species and biomass did not show any obvious seasonal pattern. Throughout the study, schooling planktivorous fish species such as the picarel Spicara smaris, the bogue Boops boops and the damselfish Chromis chromis were dominant, both in terms of density (80%) and biomass (70%). Temporal variation in density and body size of fishes was used to assess the seasonal and ontogenetic habitat use of each species, with their affinity to seagrass assessed by comparing their respective distribution on sand. Four functional guilds were created (juvenile migrants, seagrass residents, seasonal migrants and occasional visitors) to describe the habitat use of P. oceanica meadows by each species. Several species associated with P. oceanica meadows used this habitat mainly as juveniles during summer, although many others were present concurrently as adults and as juveniles. Among the species encountered, 11 were non-indigenous of Indo-Pacific origin, of which three used seagrasses mainly as juveniles and four as residents. The non-indigenous silverstripe blaasop Lagocephalus sceleratus ranked among the 10 most dominant species in terms of biomass (2%) and was classified as a seagrass resident.
Journal of Fish Biology 12/2010; 77(10):2338-57. · 1.68 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The first record for the Mediterranean Sea of the Red Sea/Indo-Pacific portunid Gonioinfradens paucidentatus (red swimming crab) is documented. A detailed description of the specimens collect-ed at Rodos Island (southeastern Aegean Sea) is given, while possible introduction vectors of the species in the area are discussed
Mediterranean Marine Science. 01/2010; 11(2):331-340.
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: 167 Scomberomorus commerson Lacepède, 1800 (Scombridae) is an inshore pelagic, highly migratory and schooling species (RANDALL, 1995), dwelling generally between 10 and 70 m depth, which mainly feeds on small schooling fishes and reach-es 240 cm in fork length (FROESE & PAULY, 2008). The Narrow-barred Span-ish mackerel is a tropical species, distrib-uted in the Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea and South Africa to south-east Asia, north to China and Japan and south to Australia and has immigrated via the Suez Canal into the Levant Sea (GOLANI et al., 2002). It is listed today among the "100 worst invasive species" of the Mediterra-nean (STREFTARIS & ZENETOS, 2006). An adult specimen of S. commerson, 102 cm in total length, 7 kg in weight, was caught by set gillnet on the 31 st of March 2008 at Lardos, along the south-eastern coasts of the island of Rhodes, at 12-14 m depth, on rocky bottom. Some of the fish-es caught in the same net were the native Epinepheleus marginatus, Serranus scriba, S. cabrilla, Diplodus sargus, D. vulgaris, D. annularis, Dentex dentex, Pagrus pagrus, Scorpaena scrofa and the allochthonous Sargocentron rubrum. Unfortunately, the finding was signalled after the specimen had been sold and its identification was based only on photos, following the descriptions and keys given by COLLETTE (1986a, b) and BAUCHOT (1987). The species is easily distinguished from its confamilial species from the evi-Mediterranean Marine Science Volume 9/1, 2008, 167-171
Mediterranean Marine Science. 01/2008; 9:167-171.
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The Hydrobiological Station of Rhodes made a study on sea turtles strandings onto the
coasts of Rhodes Island, SE Aegean for the last 20 years period. Time and spatial distribution of the 92 strandings recorded in the area surrounding the island were examined. The results revealed an increasing trend of the strandings’ number, particularly due to the increased number of dead sea turtles recordings in the last 10 years period.
Twelfth Hellenic Symposium of Icthyologists, Drama, Greece; 01/2005
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: A large number of Red Sea species are colonizing the eastern Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal, mainly following the Anatolian coasts and spreading westwards. Portunus pelagicus is one of the most common Red Sea swimming crabs, first recorded in the Levantine Basin in 1898. Four specimens of P. pelagicus were collected in different marine areas of Rhodes Island from 1991 to 2000, while three specimens of the lessepsian fish Apogon pharaonis, first recorded in the Mediterranean in 1947, were caught during 2002 in the NW coast of Rhodes. The sub-tropical character of the marine area around Rhodes seems to facilitate the propagation of lessepsian species. These migrants have reached the island at different velocity and degree of establishment of their populations. The occurrence of the blue swimmer crab P. pelagicus and of the bullseye cardinal fish A. pharaonis increases the number of the decapod Crustacea and fish species of Red Sea origin observed in Greek waters.
Medit. Mar. Sci. 01/2004; 5:83-89.
-
Sixth Hellenic Symposium on Oceanography and Fisheries, Chios, Greece; 01/2000
