Ecological features of the lessepsian migrant Leonnates persicus (Polychaeta : Nereididae) from the Levant coast of Turkey


Ergev M., Cinar M., Mutlu E., Ergen Z.

JOURNAL OF THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED KINGDOM, cilt.83, sa.6, ss.1225-1226, 2003 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

Özet

The seasonal distribution of Leonnales persicus was studied along depth transects (10-200 m) of three stations located in the Levant Sea during February-November 2000. Leonnates persicus particularly dominated the slightly gravelly sand bottom of stations between 10 and 150 m. Its distributional pattern showed a seasonal trend: it inhabited depths between 40 and 150 m in February and May when surface temperature was below 21degreesC, whereas it preferred shallower waters (10-60 m) during the warm season (>29degreesC in August). The density of the species in the area varied between 10 and 130 ind m(-2), with a maximum at 25-30 m off Erdemli in August.