Contemporary Record, Spatial Distribution and Morphological Documentation of the Three-Spined Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in the Sea of Marmara, Türkiye
THALASSAS : REVISTA DE CIENCIAS DEL MAR, cilt.42, ss.1-11, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 42
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s41208-026-01230-0
- Dergi Adı: THALASSAS : REVISTA DE CIENCIAS DEL MAR
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Natural Science Collection (ProQuest), Biological Science Database (ProQuest), Scopus, Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), BIOSIS, Zoological Record
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-11
- Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This study documents the occurrence and morphological characteristics of the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in the coastal waters of the Sea of Marmara (SoM) and Çardak Lagoon, Türkiye. A total of 11 specimens were collected from 12 coastal stations between December 2021 and March 2022 in the SoM and two specimens were sampled from the 7 stations in February 2025 in the Çardak Lagoon. Morphological examinations revealed that all examined specimens possessed 21–22 continuous lateral plates along the body and a well-developed caudal keel. Although the continuous plate arrangement and distinct keel share diagnostic features with the fully plated trachurus morphotype, the observed plate counts are lower than those typically reported for marine populations of this form. Rather than proposing a distinct taxonomic variant, these morphological observations are presented as a descriptive baseline documenting local variation in lateral plate configuration within these coastal habitats. During the sampling period, specimens were captured primarily along the northern coasts of the Sea of Marmara and within Çardak Lagoon, whereas no individuals were recorded at the sampled southern stations. This absence along the southern coastline during the survey period does not necessarily imply a regional distribution limit; rather, it may relate to temporal variation in detectability or unquantified localized factors, such as regional hydrological differences. These results provide a contemporary, specimen-based record of G. aculeatus in the region and highlight the need for further systematic sampling across shallow coastal habitats