Distribution and Morphology of the Colonial Scleractinian Madracis pharensis (Cnidaria, Anthozoa) in the Dardanelles (Marmara Sea, Turkey)

Özalp H. B., Alparslan M.

ACTA ZOOLOGICA BULGARICA, vol.67, no.3, pp.429-434, 2015 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 67 Issue: 3
  • Publication Date: 2015
  • Journal Name: ACTA ZOOLOGICA BULGARICA
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.429-434
  • Keywords: Madracis pharensis, Scleractinia, coral ecology, new record, Dardanelles, Marmara Sea, AEGEAN SEA, 1ST RECORD, CORAL
  • Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The benthic communities in the Dardanelles were investigated with scuba diving and manta-tow techniques between 2011 and 2013 at 200 stations with a depth between 1 and 50 m. In these studies, the scleractinian Madracis pharensis (Heller, 1868) was collected from coralligenous and rocky habitats at five different sites at depths between 20 and 39 m. The ecological features of the colonies were examined in situ. The present paper reports the species occurrence and reveals the habitat characteristics of the species for the first time from this area. With this new record the known global distributional range of the species has been updated and the knowledge on anthozoan ecology along the Turkish coasts was enhanced.