The brachyura (Decapoda) community of Zostera marina meadows in the coastal area of the southern Black Sea (Sinop Peninsula, Turkey)

Bilgin S., ATEŞ A. S., Celik E. S.

CRUSTACEANA, vol.80, no.6, pp.717-730, 2007 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 80 Issue: 6
  • Publication Date: 2007
  • Doi Number: 10.1163/156854007781360621
  • Journal Name: CRUSTACEANA
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.717-730
  • Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The brachyuran (Decapoda) taxocoenosis of a shallow meadow of Zostera marina was studied in a coastal area of the Sinop Peninsula (southern Black Sea, Turkey). Specimens were collected monthly between February 2002 and January 2003 with a beam trawl at depths of 5-20 m during benthic surveys carried out off the Sinop coast. A total of 3206 individuals belonging to 9 species was collected. The structure of the taxocoenosis along the year is dominated by portunid crabs; among these, Liocarcinus vernalis (Risso, 1816) is the most dominant species (36.87%). The largest Brachyura community in the Zostera marina beds was recorded in the summer months (June and July).