“New records of rare species in the Mediterranean Sea” (October 2021)

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One specimen of zebra goby, Zebrus zebrus (Risso, 1827) was collected in the Bosphorus Strait. The present record of Z. zebrus from the Bosphorus Strait extended the geographical distribution of this species. The present finding is an evidence that Z. zebrus is more of a common species in Turkish waters than it is previously believed..

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Champsodon nudivittis (Ogilby, 1895), also known as the nakedband gaper, is distributed in the Aegean and Levantine parts of the Mediterranean Sea. It has been reported in the Mediterranean Sea as a Red Sea immigrant. The first record of the species in the Mediterranean Sea was reported in 2009 from the Levantine coasts. In this study, two individuals of nakedband gaper were captured about two months apart from the north of Gokceada Island, in the North Aegean Sea. The specimens were obtained using a trawl at depths of 100-120 m. Their total lengths were measured as 117 and 122 mm. This report extends the distribution of C. nudivittis to the North Aegean Sea, marking its northernmost record in the Mediterranean Sea to date. Moreover, the species is the second Red Sea originated fish recorded in the area between Gokceada Island, Samothraki Island and Saros Bay. C. nudivittis is known as a predator, hence, its population density should be monitored and its impact on the ecosystem should be assessed in the North Aegean Sea.

In this study, one specimen of Lagocephalus guentheri, the largest individual (536 mm) ever recorded, was obtained from the Iskenderun Bay, Levantine Sea. The specimen was caught from two nautical miles off the Samandağ coast at a depth of 128 m with a commercial trawler. The present finding reports the maximum length and the deepest record of the species for the Mediterranean Sea. Apparently, the distribution of the species in the Mediterranean Sea will expand in the following years.