Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-42gr6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-19T01:07:33.422Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Filling the gap: first confirmed record for the Ophisurus serpens (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) from the Anatolian coast of the South Aegean Sea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2015

Halit Filiz ,
Celal Ateş ,
Sercan Yapici  and
Sevan Ağdamar
Halit Filiz
Affiliation:
Faculty of Fisheries, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, 48000 Kötekli, Muğla, Turkey
Celal Ateş
Affiliation:
Faculty of Fisheries, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, 48000 Kötekli, Muğla, Turkey
Sercan Yapici*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Fisheries, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, 48000 Kötekli, Muğla, Turkey
Sevan Ağdamar
Affiliation:
Faculty of Fisheries, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, 48000 Kötekli, Muğla, Turkey
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: S. Yapıcı, Faculty of Fisheries, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, 48000 Kötekli, Muğla, Turkey email: sercanyapici@mu.edu.tr
Get access

Abstract

The occurrence of the rare serpent eel Ophisurus serpens is reported here for the first time from the Anatolian coasts of the South Aegean Sea. On 5 January 2015, a single specimen with a total length of 121. 2 cm and 363.14 g was collected by seine boat off Gökova Bay, Turkey. This finding shows that its population is expanding southwards, from Izmir to the Anatolian coasts of the Aegean Sea.

Keywords

Aegean SeaAnatolian coastOphisurus serpensSerpent eel
Type
Research Article
Information
Marine Biodiversity Records , Volume 8 , 2015 , e63
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Abad, E., Preciado, I., Serrano, A. and Baro, J. (2007) Demersal and epibenthic assemblages of trawlable grounds in the northern Alboran Sea (western Mediterranean). Scientia Marina 7, 513–524.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bauchot, M.L. (1986) Ophichthidae. In Whitehead, P.J.P., Bauchot, M.L., Hureau, J.C., Nielsen, J. and Tortonese, E. (eds) Fishes of the North-Western Atlantic and the Mediterranean, Vol. II. Paris, France: UNESCO, pp. 577–585.Google Scholar
Ben Amor, M.M., Ben Souissi, J., Ben Salem, M. and Capapé, C. (2009) Confirmed occurrence of the longjaw snake eel, Ophisurus serpens (Osteichthyes: Ophichthidae) in Tunisian waters (Central Mediterranean). Pan-American Journal of Aquatic Sciences 4, 251–254.Google Scholar
Biagi, F., Sartor, P., Ardizzone, G.D., Belcari, P., Belluscio, A. and Serena, F. (2002) Analysis of demersal assemblages off the Tuscany and Latium coasts (north-western Mediterranean). Scientia Marina 66, 233–242.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cengiz, Ö., İşmen, A., Özekinci, U. and Öztekin, A. (2011) An investigation on fish fauna of Saros Bay (northern Aegean Sea). Afyon Kocatepe University Journal of Sciences and Engineering 11, 31–37 (article in Turkish with an abstract in English).Google Scholar
Dulcic, J., Matic-Skoko, S. and Kraljevic, M. (2005) New record of serpent eel Ophisurus serpens (Linnaeus, 1758) (Ophichthidae) in the Adriatic waters with a review of recent Adriatic records. Annales Series Historia Naturalis 15, 181–184.Google Scholar
Froese, R. and Pauly, D. (2014) FishBase. Available at: http://www.fishbase.org (accessed 7 January 2015).Google Scholar
Geldiay, R. and Mater, S. (1968) Two species of fish found in the Aegean Sea (Oxynotus centrina L. and Ophisurus serpens L.). Scientific Reports of the Faculty of Science, Ege University (in Turkish with an abstract in English), İzmir, Turkey 52, 1–8.Google Scholar
Golani, D., Ozturk, B. and Basusta, N. (2006) Fishes of the Eastern Mediterranean. Istanbul: Turkish Marine Research Foundation, 259 pp.Google Scholar
Karakulak, F.S., Erk, H. and Bilgin, B. (2006) Length-weight relationships for 47 coastal fish species from the northern Aegean Sea, Turkey. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 22, 274–278.Google Scholar
Kaspiris, P. (1973) Contribution to the study of osteichthyes of the Korinthiakos and Patraikos Gulf and the Ionian Sea. PhD thesis, Univeristy of Patras, Greece, 122 pp. (in Greek).Google Scholar
Kaspiris, P. (1984) Anguilliformes from the western coasts of Greece. Biologia Gallo-Hellenica 11, 27–30.Google Scholar
Machida, Y. (1984) Albulidae, Synaphobranchidae, Colocengridae, Congridae, Muraenesocidae, Nettastomatidae, Ophichthidae, Muraenidae, Nemichthyidae, Netacanthidae, Halosauridae, Alepocephalidae, Argentinidae, Gonostomatidae, Sternoptychidae, Chauliodontidae, Stomiatidae, Astronesthidae, Melanostomiatidae, Malacosteidae, Ophidiidae, Bythitidae and Aphyonidae. In Okamura, O. and Kitajima, T. (eds) Fishes of the Okinawa Trough and the adjacent waters. Tokyo: Japan Fisheries Resource Conservation Association, pp. 78–111, 136–157, 244–267, 314–327, 330–341, 371–375 (in Japanese and English).Google Scholar
Maiorano, P., Sion, L., Carlucci, R., Capezzuto, F., Giove, A., Costantino, G., Panza, M., D'Onghia, G. and Tursi, A. (2010) The demersal fauna assemblage of the north-western Ionian Sea (central Mediterranean): current knowledge and perspectives. Chemistry and Ecology 26, 219–240.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCosker, J.E. (1977) The osteology, classification, and relationships of the eel family Ophichthidae. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 41, 1–123.Google Scholar
McCosker, J.E. (1998) A revision of the snake-eel genus Callechelys (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) with the description of two new Indo-Pacific species and a new Callechelyin genus. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 50, 185–214.Google Scholar
McCosker, J.E. (1999) Pisces Anguilliformes: deepwater snake eels (Ophichthidae) from the New Caledonia region, southwest Pacific Ocean. Mémoires du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris (N. S.) (Série A) Zoologie 180, 571–588.Google Scholar
McCosker, J.E. (2007) Luthulenchelys heemstraorum, a new genus and species of snake eel (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) from KwaZulu-Natal, with comments on Ophichthus rutidoderma (Bleeker, 1853) and its synonyms. Smithiana 7, 3–7.Google Scholar
McCosker, J.E., Böhlke, E.B. and Böhlke, J.E. (1989) Family ophichthidae. In Böhlke, E.B. (ed.) Fishes of the Western North Atlantic, Part 9, Vol. 1. New Haven, CT: Memoirs of the Sears Foundation for Marine Research, pp. 254–412.Google Scholar
McCosker, J.E., Loh, K.H., Lin, J. and Chen, H.M. (2012) Pylorobranchus hoi, a new genus and species of myrophine worm-eel from Taiwan (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae). Zoological Studies 51, 1188–1194.Google Scholar
Papaconstantinou, C., Petrakis, G., Mytilineou, Ch., Politou, C.-Y. and Vassilopoulou, V. (1994) The fish fauna of the eastern coast of Greece. Biologia Gallo-Hellenica 22, 363–374.Google Scholar
Papaconstantinou, C. and Tsimenidis, N. (1979) Some uncommon fishes from the Aegean Sea. Cybium 7, 3–14.Google Scholar
Relini, G., Relini, M., Palandri, G., Merello, S. and Beccornia, E. (2007) History, ecology and trends for artificial reefs of the Ligurian Sea, Italy. Hydrobiologia 580, 193–217.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sangun, L., Akamca, E. and Akar, M. (2007) Weight-length relationships for 39 fish species from north-eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 7, 37–40.Google Scholar
Smith, D.G. and McCosker, J.E. (2008) Family Ophichthidae. In Gomon, M.F., Bray, D.J. and Kuiter, R.H. (eds) Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney: Reed New Holland, pp. 166–169.Google Scholar
Stergiou, K.I., Politou, C.-Y., Christou, E.D. and Petrakis, G. (1997) Selectivity experiments in the NE Mediterranean: the effect of trawl codend mesh size on species diversity and discards. ICES Journal of Marine Science 54, 96–102.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ulaş, A. and Akyol, O. (2015) Occurrence of the serpent eel, Ophisurus serpens (Linnaeus, 1758) (Osteichthyes: Ophichthidae), close to the Bay of İzmir (Aegean Sea, Turkey). Turkish Journal of Zoology 39, 191–193.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yoda, M., Tokimura, M., Horikawa, H. and Yamada, U. (2002) A catalogue of fish from the East China and Yellow seas with their local names. Nagasaki: Seikai National Fisheries Institute, Fisheries Research Agency, iii plus 42 pp. (in Japanese).Google Scholar