First record of Bursatella leachii de Blainville 1817 (Mollusca; Gastropoda; Aplysiidae) in Black Sea

Abstract

This study reports the presence of the ragged sea hare Bursatella leachii de Blainville 1817 in the Black Sea. A total of 484 specimens of this species were observed during scuba diving and snorkeling at depths ranging from 1.0 to 4.0 meters in September 2023. The samples were observed on the sandy-muddy bottom of Kumbaba Beach and the sandy bottom of Uzunkum Beach in Şile district (Istanbul province). The density of individuals per square meter of the seabed was calculated and the highest number of individuals was detected on the Kumbaba Beach near the mouth of the Türknil River. Considering the location of discovery, it is logical to assume that the introduction of this species into the Black Sea may have occurred naturally. This hypothesis can be supported for two main reasons; a) Şile beaches are a few kilometers away from the Bosphorus Channel, b) the report of B. leachii closest to Şile district dates back to January 2020, when the species was observed on the seabed on the southern coast of the Dardanelles. Long-term monitoring and more in-depth studies should be conducted in the region to give certainty to these hypotheses.

Keywords

• Bursatella leachii
• Black Sea
• Türkiye
• Alien invasive species
• Non-Indigenous species.

Supporting Institution

None

Ethical Statement

Authors declare that no ethics committee permissions is required for this study.

Thanks

None

Bursatella leachii de Blainville 1817'nin (Mollusca; Gastropoda; Aplysiidae) Karadeniz’deki ilk kaydı

Abstract

Bu çalışma, Karadeniz’de dağınık deniz tavşanı Bursatella leachii de Blainville 1817’nin varlığını rapor etmektedir. Eylül 2023 ayı içerisinde 1,0 ila 4,0 m arasında değişen derinliklerde tüplü dalış (SCUBA) ve şnorkel dalışı ile toplam 484 örnek gözlemlenmiştir. Örnekler, Şile ilçesi (İstanbul ili) Kumbaba plajının kumlu-çamurlu tabanında ve Uzunkum plajının kumlu tabanında gözlemlenmiştir. Deniz tabanındaki bireylerin metrekaredeki yoğunluğu hesaplanmış ve en yüksek birey sayısı Türknil nehrinin ağzına yakın Kumbaba sahilinde tespit edilmiştir. Türün tespit edildiği bölge göz önüne alındığında, bu türün Karadeniz’e girişinin doğal yollarla meydana gelmiş olabileceği düşünülmektedir. Bu hipotez iki ana nedenden dolayı desteklenebilir; a) Şile sahilleri Boğaziçi Kanalı’ndan birkaç kilometre uzaktadır, b) Şile ilçesine en yakın B. leachii’nin raporu, türün Çanakkale Boğazı’nın güney kıyısındaki deniz yatağında gözlemlendiği Ocak 2020’ye dayanmaktadır (Çanakkale Boğazı). Bu hipotezlere kesinlik kazandırmak için bölgede uzun süreli izleme ve daha derinlemesine çalışmalar yapılmalıdır.

Keywords

• Bursatella leachii
• Karadeniz
• Türkiye
• İstilacı tür
• Yabancı tür

Supporting Institution

Hiçbiri

Ethical Statement

Yazarlar bu çalışma için etik kurul iznine gerek olmadığını beyan ederler.

Thanks

Hiçbiri

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