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Chondrichthyans are apex predators influencing the trophic web through a top-down process thus their depletion will affect the remaining biota. Notwithstanding that, research on chondrichthyans is sparse or data-limited in several biogeographic areas worldwide, including the Levantine Sea. We revise and update the knowledge of chondrichthyans in Cy...
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Citations
... The Mediterranean Sea is globally considered a biodiversity hotspot (Serena et al. 2020); however, it is currently identified as a key hotspot region for extinction risk among chondrichthyans (Barría et al. 2015;Dulvy et al. 2021), with approximately half of its broad array of species being threatened (Giovos et al. 2021). This includes the cosmopolitan and epipelagic spinetail devil ray Mobula mobular (Bonnaterre, 1788), which is currently listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (Couturier et al. 2012;Marshall et al. 2022). ...
... Occasional sightings can be an important source of valuable information on rare and endangered species Bargnesi et al. 2020), such as Mediterranean chondrichthyans Giovos et al. 2021). They may offer additional insights into certain life-history characteristics of these species, including important areas Kyne et al. 2023), as well as rare or unusual occurrences (Duffy and Tindale 2018). ...
Sightings can provide valuable insights into lesser-known and endangered species by providing significant information regarding specific biological aspects. This study reports two unusual occurrences of spinetail devil ray (Mobula mobular) parturition events. The first event occurred in Calafell, Tarragona, where a stranded female gave birth to a pup of unidentified sex with an estimated disc width (DW) of 129.83 ± 2.14 cm. The second event took place in Palamós, Girona, where an incidentally captured female gave birth to a stillborn male pup of 150 cm DW. These two rare events, potentially induced by stressors such as stranding and incidental capture, respectively, are the first to be documented in the Spanish coast of the western Mediterranean Sea, suggesting that this region may be important for pelagic species such as the spinetail devil ray. These two occurrences may also indicate that this species may use certain areas of this region as breeding grounds.
... R. brachyura used to be rare off the Spanish coast (Lozano Rey, 1928) and around the Balearic Islands (Massutí & Moranta, 2003). With regard to the Mediterranean coast of France, the first record of a single specimen was made by Euzet (1960), while Quignard (1965 noted that the species was very rare in the area. The last recorded specimen in France was captured by trawl on 14 April 1992, between Sète and Palavas (Capapé et al., 2006). ...
... In addition, the Algerian coast likely constitutes a hotspot for R. brachyura in the western Mediterranean basin. Migrations toward northern areas could explain its abundance off southern Sardinia (Catalano et al., 2007;Porcu et al., 2015), the sporadic captures reported in the Ligurian Sea (Bottaro et al., 2006), off southern Corsica (MSRG-Corsica, 2013), possibly off the coast of Languedoc (Association Ailerons, 2021), and its range extension in the eastern Mediterranean basin (Giovos et al., 2021;Turan et al., 2024). R. brachyura is known to be caught in the temperate waters off the eastern Atlantic coast (Stehmann & Bürkel, 1984;Ebert & Stehmann, 2013). ...
... The blonde ray, R. brachyura is distributed throughout the Eastern Atlantic, from the Shetland Islands (Scotland) to Morocco (Froese and Pauly, 2024), whereas their Mediterranean distributions were previously considered rare (Matallanas, 1974), and were mainly confined to the western-central Mediterranean basin rather than the eastern basin (Ellis et al., 2005;Serena et al., 2010). In contrast, various observations revealed that R. brachyura has expanded its distribution eastwards to the Sardinian and western Sicily coasts (Follesa et al., 2003;Ragonese et al., 2003;Catalano et al., 2007), Ionian Sea (Leonetti et al., 2020), Greek coasts of Aegean Sea (Damalas and Vassilopoulou, 2011;Giovos et al., 2022), and Cyprus (Giovos et al., 2021). ...
... Contrary to other Atlantic-origin species that naturally extend eastward in the Mediterranean Sea via the Strait of Gibraltar, the distribution of R. brachyura in the Mediterranean has been unusual in that it was restricted to the western-central Mediterranean basin until about 20 years ago and its distribution has since expanded eastwards, likely due to the influence of climate change. From a biogeographical perspective, supported by bottom trawling surveys and regional checklists, have demonstrated the notable eastward expansion of R. brachyura along the coasts of Sardinia and western Sicily (Follesa et al., 2003;Ragonese et al., 2003;Catalano et al., 2007), throughout the Ionian Sea (Leonetti et al., 2020), along the Greek Aegean coast (Damalas and Vassilopoulou, 2011;Giovos et al., 2022), and around Cyprus (Giovos et al., 2021). In addition, Serena et al. (2020) evaluated the relative abundance of R. brachyura in the western and central Mediterranean that it is as occasional in the Adriatic Sea, as abundant in the eastern Mediterranean, and as questionable in the Black Sea. ...
The blonde ray Raja brachyura Lafont, 1873 was reported for the first time from Turkish marine waters. A female specimen was captured during a trawling survey on 17 March 2019 in Antalya Bay, northeastern Mediterranean. This study represents the first record of R. brachyura from the Turkish coasts, making it the fourteenth Rajid species for Turkish marine ichthyofauna to date.
... R. brachyura used to be rare off the Spanish coast (Lozano Rey, 1928) and around the Balearic Islands (Massutí & Moranta, 2003). With regard to the Mediterranean coast of France, the first record of a single specimen was made by Euzet (1960), while Quignard (1965 noted that the species was very rare in the area. The last recorded specimen in France was captured by trawl on 14 April 1992, between Sète and Palavas (Capapé et al., 2006). ...
... In addition, the Algerian coast likely constitutes a hotspot for R. brachyura in the western Mediterranean basin. Migrations toward northern areas could explain its abundance off southern Sardinia (Catalano et al., 2007;Porcu et al., 2015), the sporadic captures reported in the Ligurian Sea (Bottaro et al., 2006), off southern Corsica (MSRG-Corsica, 2013), possibly off the coast of Languedoc (Association Ailerons, 2021), and its range extension in the eastern Mediterranean basin (Giovos et al., 2021;Turan et al., 2024). R. brachyura is known to be caught in the temperate waters off the eastern Atlantic coast (Stehmann & Bürkel, 1984;Ebert & Stehmann, 2013). ...
... In order to accurately complete the checklist, the available scientific literature and open access databases were also accessed, following the methodology used in Giovos et al. (2021) and Giovos et al. (2022). The Google Scholar search engine was used to find publications dealing with chondrichthyans in Montenegrin waters in order to find records of additional species belonging to this group. ...
Chondrichthyans are considered a highly threatened marine species, due both to the intense fishing pressure they have experienced in the world’s Oceans over several decades, and other threats, such as habitat loss, climate change and marine pollution. A rapid decline in their populations could trigger significant negative changes in marine ecosystems, highlighting the need for improved conservation measures. This study analyzes the current state of this group in the waters of Montenegro (in the southeastern Adriatic Sea). The first national checklist is provided here, comprising of 44 species, with information on their occurrence frequencies in Montenegrin fishery catches. The dataset used consists of 1469 records obtained from 281 field samplings conducted as part of the official monitoring of commercial fisheries (DCF-DCRF) aswell as 1222 records derived from citizen science. The latter contributed significantly in documenting a greater number of species, particularly those considered threatened or rare in the region, and/or overlooked by DCF-DCRF monitoring. The frequency of species in Montenegrin catches is described based on the percentage of their records in the total number of records originating from local fisheries. The obtained results indicate that only 16% of the species recorded in Montenegro are commonly present in country’s catches, while 66% are either rare or not observed in local fishery. The creation of the country’s first checklist might contribute to overcoming drawbacks in national legislation and protection measures, notably by reporting the presence of endangered species in national marine waters.
... A checklist of 60 chondrichthyans was recently reported by a study which reviewed available data, studies and citizen science reports for the island of Cyprus (Giovos et al., 2021b). A published record of Hexanchus nakamurai (Teng 1962, bigeyed sixgill shark, now H. vitulus, Springer and Waller 1969, Atlantic sixgill shark) has since been retracted (Bengil et al., 2021), while a Cetorhinus maximus (Gunnerus 1785, basking shark) previously reported for Northern Cyprus (Kabasakal, 2013), and for the whole island (Giovos et al., 2021b) was based on a newspaper report which was later found to have been inaccurate, instead being Alopias superciliosus (Lowe 1841, bigeye thresher shark, Hakan Kabasakal pers. ...
... A checklist of 60 chondrichthyans was recently reported by a study which reviewed available data, studies and citizen science reports for the island of Cyprus (Giovos et al., 2021b). A published record of Hexanchus nakamurai (Teng 1962, bigeyed sixgill shark, now H. vitulus, Springer and Waller 1969, Atlantic sixgill shark) has since been retracted (Bengil et al., 2021), while a Cetorhinus maximus (Gunnerus 1785, basking shark) previously reported for Northern Cyprus (Kabasakal, 2013), and for the whole island (Giovos et al., 2021b) was based on a newspaper report which was later found to have been inaccurate, instead being Alopias superciliosus (Lowe 1841, bigeye thresher shark, Hakan Kabasakal pers. comm.). ...
Introduction
Loss of biodiversity in marine ecosystems is a globally acknowledged problem. To address this and avoid extinctions, improved conservation is required to protect and restore our oceans. Elasmobranch species are considered the second most threatened vertebrate lineage, with overfishing considered the most important driver of declines. The Mediterranean Sea is a hotspot for elasmobranchs, with the eastern basin considered a data-poor area.
Methods
This study sought to address that deficiency, using bycatch data to assess the diversity and distribution of elasmobranch species caught as a result of commercial fishing in Northern Cyprus from 2018 to 2022.
Results
Thirty-six elasmobranch species were recorded, including 24 new records for Northern Cyprus, representing 41% of all species recorded in the Mediterranean. Of these 36 species, 61% are listed on the IUCN Red List as globally threatened (Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable). Of the species recorded, 71% of sharks (n=17), and 53% of batoids (skates and rays; n=19) are listed as threatened. We present data on the distribution of captures and size classes and infer life stage from these data.
Discussion
Our study demonstrates the importance of the coastal waters of Cyprus for multiple life stages of a broad range of elasmobranch species. As most elasmobranchs caught are retained for bait, subsistence or trade, our study has highlighted the need to update the regulations for this small-scale fishery, and led to a recent amendment to prohibit trade in all species listed under the Barcelona Convention.
... The new events recorded in the last five-year period (2017)(2018)(2019)(2020)(2021)(2022) [7,8,9,10,11] and reported as rare. ...
... Despite the low number of people involved, in several coastal areas, fisheries continue to be important for the cohesion of the local communities. About 60 species of elasmobranchs exist in the Cypriot waters [90]. ...
This study examined the integration and application of the precautionary principle at national level for the conservation and management of elasmobranchs. Three countries, Greece, Malta, and Cyprus were assessed. Based on national legislation, policies, and reports, the assessment shows limited integration and application of the precautionary approach for the conservation and management of this group. The review of existing measures and relevant literature revealed potential applications of the precautionary principle for two model species, the blue shark (Prionace glauca) and the bull ray (Aetomylaeus bovinus). Sixteen measures, ranging from basic to strong precautionary actions, are proposed to aid the conservation and management of these two species.
