First record of the Norway goby in the Adriatic Sea

One male and four female Norway gobies Pomatoschistus norvegicus are reported from the Adriatic Sea.     

The biology of Roule's goby in the Kvarner area, northern Adriatic Sea

Roule's goby Gobius roulei in the Kvarner area of the northern Adriatic Sea attained ≥ 87.5 mm L _T and an age of 7 years. In both sexes gonad development began in their second year. All males were mature by 3 years, and females by 4 years. Fecundity was related to L _T and varied between 1200 and 8000 eggs. The breeding season lasted from April to August. Nests were built under empty shells of Pitaria chione or stones. Roule's goby was a predator and picker, feeding mostly on mobile benthic fauna, including bivalves, gastropods, polychaets, pagurids, mysids, gammarids and fishes. Larger specimens ate mainly macrofauna, while smaller specimens ate both meiofauna and macrofauna.     

Reproductive biology of a Red Sea goby, Silhouettea aegyptia, and a Mediterranean goby, Pomatoschistus marmoratus, in Lake Timsah, Suez Canal

The reproductive biology of the Red Sea goby Silhouettea aegyptia , and Mediterranean Pomatoschistus marmoratus , has been studied in Lake Timsah, Suez Canal. Male: female sex ratio was 1: 1 7 in S. aegyptia and 1: 2 7 in P. marmoratus . Size at first maturity was 20 mm ( s.l. ) in S. aegyptia and 24 mm in P. marmoratus . The breeding season of S. aegyptia extended from March to September with most gonadal activity in May, whereas in P. marmoratus , it stretched from. November until the following April with a peak in February. Hepatosomatic index for both species exhibited monthly fluctuations and an inverse correlation with gonadosomatic index was evident. Oocyte size-frequency distribution indicated several modes at 400, 600 and 800 μm during the breeding season. Fecundity of S. aegyptia ranged from 152 to 782 with an average of 468 eggs, whereas in P. marmoratus it varied between 293 and 1300 with an average of 603 eggs. Fecundity was related curvilinearly to fish length, body weight and ovary weight. Recruitment of young fish to the adult populations occurred in late July and early August for S. aegyptia and during March for P. marmoratus . Life history pattern indicated that both species of gobies are successful colonists of Lake Timsah, Suez Canal.     

The largescaled terapon Terapon theraps: a new Indo‐Pacific fish in the Mediterranean Sea

A specimen of the largescaled terapon Terapon theraps was recorded for the first time from the Mediterranean Sea. The finding of T. theraps in the northernmost part of the Mediterranean Sea raises the number of Lessepsian migrant species to at least 68 and in the Adriatic Sea to at least 11.     

A new goby (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from the South China Sea and its significance for gobioid classification

A new genus and species of gobiid fish, Egglestonichthys Patriciae , is described from the South China Sea. Certain features of the modified head lateral-line system resemble those seen in eleotrine genera with 'transverse' suborbital sensory papillae, but the skeleton of the new goby is essentially gobiine. Aspects of the lateral-line system indicate closest relationship with genera from both the IndoPacific area ( Callogobius complex, Psilogobius, Stonogobiops ) and the New World ( Microgobius ). Wider affinities with other gobiine and gobionelline genera are discussed. Discrepancies between arrangements based predominantly on lateral-line characters and on osteology are noted and their implications considered for future classification of the gobioid fishes.     

Freshwater goby life history in a Mediterranean stream

The Italian goby Gobius nigricans is a running-water-dwelling species inhabiting the Tuscano-Latium district and threatened by several human activities. Many aspects of its biology are currently unknown, such as the dynamic potentialities. Since age determination and dynamic assessment are considered an important tool for a correct management strategy, we aimed to investigate some aspects of the Italian goby life history by applying the fish stock assessment principles, collecting data on fertility, population structure (age-class number), growth (i.e., curvature parameter and asymptotic length), mortality (natural and due to the fishing), and longevity of a central Italian goby population to know the status and dynamic properties of the Italian goby in Mediterranean river systems and to provide a baseline for comparison with other populations. Females are subject to a strong selective pressure to quickly reach a small size to optimize reproductive output, while acquisition of a large size favored males for a more easy access to breeder females (the asymptotic length was higher in males than in females). Moreover, appreciable between-sex differences were found in both growth pattern (the growth rate was lower in females than in males) and dynamic potentialities. In particular, the mortality rate was lower in females, whereas the longevity was slightly lower in males, although the two sexes showed similar values for the two latter properties. There is considerable scope for further work on the G. nigricans growth and other freshwater gobies because information on population and dynamic properties, and assessment of factors affecting growth are still very insufficient. Handling editor: P. Viaroli     

First record of Cyclopterus lumpus L., 1758 (Osteichthyes: Cyclopteridae) in the Mediterranean Sea

The Atlantic lumpsucker Cyclopterus lumpus (343 mm total length) is recorded for the first time from the Mediterranean Sea. The specimen was collected in the night between 16 and 17 September 2004 off Molunat Bay, Croatia, southern Adriatic Sea. This record may present a case of a vagrant specimen.     

Apogon smithi (Kotthaus, 1970) (Teleostei: Apogonidae), a Red Sea cardinalfish colonizing the Mediterranean Sea

Smith's cardinalfish Apogon smithi is recorded for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea. Six specimens were caught by commercial trawler north of Jaffa, Israel, at depths of 40 m and the relatively high number of specimens suggests that A. smithi has established a sustainable population. This is the third Indo-Pacific apogonid species documented in the Mediterranean Sea, and is assumed to be a migrant originating from the Red Sea.     

New records of deep-sea decapod crustaceans in the Turkish Mediterranean Sea (North Levant Sea)

A survey of the bathyal trawling grounds in the Gulf of Antalya (Turkish Mediterranean Sea) yielded 34 species of decapod crustaceans. Four species (Funchalia villosa, Plesionika acanthonotus, P. gigliolii, Monodaeus couchii) are recorded for the first time from the Levant Sea. The number of marine decapod species reported for Turkey rises to 265 and the number reported from the Turkish Mediterranean Sea to 211.     

Hydromedusae of the Mediterranean Sea

Mediterranean hydromedusae can be classified in several categories: common species, widely distributed throughout the Mediterranean and rare species reported from the Pacific, Indian or Atlantic Oceans; seasonal species comprising cold-season species with a boreal affinity and warm-season species with a hot to temperate affinity; neritic and mid-ocean species; surface species and meso-, infra-, and bathypelagic species. Holoplanktonic species are known to be associated with stable hydrological conditions (offshore waters, deep waters, summer and winter homothermy), whereas meroplanktonic species are more likely to be found in more disturbed hydrological conditions (coastal waters, surface waters, spring and autumn periods of temperature fluctuation). A general pattern of medusa distribution is established based upon comparative study throughout the Mediterranean.     

High vertical and low horizontal diversity of Prochlorococcus ecotypes in the Mediterranean Sea in summer

Natural populations of the marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus exist as two main ecotypes, inhabiting different layers of the ocean's photic zone. These so-called high light- (HL-) and low light (LL-) adapted ecotypes are both physiologically and genetically distinct. HL strains can be separated into two major clades (HLI and HLII), whereas LL strains are more diverse. Here, we used several molecular techniques to study the genetic diversity of natural Prochlorococcus populations during the Prosope cruise in the Mediterranean Sea in the summer of 1999. Using a dot blot hybridization technique, we found that HLI was the dominant HL group and was confined to the upper mixed layer. In contrast, LL ecotypes were only found below the thermocline. Secondly, a restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of PCR-amplified pcb genes (encoding the major light-harvesting proteins of Prochlorococcus) suggested that there were at least four genetically different ecotypes, occupying distinct but overlapping light niches in the photic zone. At comparable depths, similar banding patterns were observed throughout the sampled area, suggesting a horizontal homogenization of ecotypes. Nevertheless, environmental pcb gene sequences retrieved from different depths at two stations proved all different at the nucleotide level, suggesting a large genetic microdiversity within those ecotypes.     

The Sperm Whale,Physeter macrocephalus,in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

After the successful establishment of free–living populations of Rose–ringed Parakeets (Psittacula krameri) and Common Mynas (Acridotheres tristis) in Jeddah, an overview of all exotic birds imported into Jeddah in the first three months of 1990 is given.     

The chromosomal complement of Aphia minuta, a paedomorphic goby

The diploid complement of the paedomorphic goby Aphia minuta ranged from 44 to 41 due to Robertsonian fusions (fundamental number=44). Data on spermatogenesis suggest that structural heterozygotes are fertile and that these chromosomal changes are not involved in a speciation process.     

The Arabian scad Trachurus indicus, a new Indo-Pacific species in the Mediterranean Sea

The Arabian scad Trachurus indicus is recorded for the first time from the Mediterranean Sea (Iskenderun Bay, Turkey). The presence of this Indo-Pacific fish in the Mediterranean Sea is probably because of migration from the Red Sea via the Suez Canal.     

On the occurrence of Cheilopogon furcatus in the Mediterranean Sea

The spotfin flyingfish Cheilopogon furcatus is recorded for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea, near Zarzis, in the Gulf of Gabès, southern Tunisia. This record is probably due to migration from the eastern Atlantic through the Strait of Gibraltar.     

Allozyme differentiation of bonito in the Mediterranean Sea

Bonito Sarda sarda samples collected in three areas from the Mediterranean Sea exhibited considerable genetic heterogeneity over all locations. This provided preliminary evidence for two different groups of bonito, one for the Ligurian and the Ionian Seas and the other for the Aegean Sea.     

First record of the bluespotted cornetfish from the Mediterranean Sea

Three specimens of the Indo-Pacific Bluespotted cornetfish Fistularia commersonii are recorded for the first time from the Mediterranean. The presence of this species in the Mediterranean is due to migration from the Red Sea via the Suez Canal.     

Biomass seasonality of Caulerpa taxifolia in the Mediterranean Sea

The biomass of the introduced and invasive alga Caulerpa taxifolia was measured monthly over one year at four different sites along the French Mediterranean coast at depths of 5 and 20 m in a sheltered and an exposed area. At the 5 m depth, C. taxifolia mean biomass ranged from 203 to 518 g dry wt. m⁻², while at the 20 m depth, it ranged from 62 to 466 g dry wt. m⁻². The study clearly shows that a major characteristic of C. taxifolia is its perennial life cycle with relatively high biomass values throughout the year, in different biotopes. This could be a factor in the broad ecological impact of C. taxifolia.     

Differential modes of selection on the rhodopsin gene in coastal Baltic and North Sea populations of the sand goby,Pomatoschistus minutus

An excellent model to elucidate the mechanisms and importance of evolution in the marine environment is the spectral tuning mechanism of the visual pigment in vertebrates. In the sand goby Pomatoschistus minutus (Teleostei; Gobiidae), a distribution‐wide study showed that spatial variation at the rhodopsin gene (RH1) matches the characteristics of specific light environments. This match suggests that populations are locally adapted to selective light regimes targeting the RH1 gene. If so, then the direction of selection should depend on the regional spatial and temporal stability of the light conditions. We tested this prediction by comparing goby populations from two regions: the Baltic Sea, characterized by divergent, but temporally stable light conditions, and the North Sea, characterized by locally heterogeneous and temporally variable light conditions. RH1 sequences of 491 Pomatoschistus minutus individuals from 15 locations were analysed. We found that variation at the RH1 gene in the Baltic populations showed signatures of diversifying selection, whereas the RH1 gene in the North Sea showed signatures of stabilizing selection. These different modes of selection are consistent with the regional light conditions and hence support our predictions, but may also be influenced by migration between the open sea and more turbid estuarine environments. An interesting observation is that within one gene, synonymous and non‐synonymous SNPs show a totally different pattern between populations. Population differentiation based on non‐synonymous SNPs of the RH1 gene correlated with spectral variation of the local environment of the sand goby populations. In contrast, the differentiation based on synonymous SNPs of RH1 reflects more the neutral historical pattern of the species.