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Abstract

The spatio-temporal distributions of decapod crustaceans caught by trawlers over the 200 m at 87 hauls on the bathyal ground in the gulf of Antalya (eastern Mediterranean) were investigated. Samples were collected during the monthly surveys from July 2010 to June 2011, and sampling area was divided in eight bathymetric strata (200-900 m: 100 m interval). Hypotheses about relationships of assemblages to depth stratum and consecutive four seasons were tested. Univariate (one-and two-way ANOVA) and multivariate analysis (BrayCurtis, nMDS, PERMANOVA and PERMIDS tests) showed differences in crustacean assemblages (abundance, biomass and species richness) according to depth stratum. No significant differences related to the consecutive seasons were detected. Analysis of the trawl catches shows two decapod assemblages: one on the upper slope (shallower than 500 m) characterized by Parapenaeus longirostris and Plesionika heterocarpus and another on the middle slope (500-900 m) with Aristaeomorpha foliacea, Aristeus antennatus and Plesionika martia.

Population pattern and dynamics of the Bluemouth Helicolenus dactylopterus (Delaroche, 1809) in the eastern Mediterranean Sea

“…It is known that decapod crustaceans were the preferred prey of H. dactylopterus in early stages of their lives (Consoli et al, 2010;Neves, Sequeira, Paiva, Vieira, & Gordo, 2011;Nouar & Maurin, 2000). Upper slope of the Antalya Bay characterized by the presence of the high densities of middle-sized decapod crustaceans, Parapenaeus longirostris, Plesionika heterocarpus, P. edwardsii and P. narval (Deval, Yılmaz, & Kapiris, 2017), which may be main prey for H. dactylopterus. In contrary, 52.6% of the total biomass (in kg) was sampled at only 600 m strata (Table 1).…”