Occurrence of the Spotted Sea Hare Aplysia dactylomela (Rang 1828, Aplysiidae) in the Yeşilovacık Bay, Norteastern Mediterranean Coast of Turkey

• Main Authors: Deniz Ayas, Gülsemin Şen Ağilkaya
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Natural and Engineering Sciences 2017-10-01
• Series: Natural and Engineering Sciences
• Subjects: Spotted Sea Hare; Aplysia dactylomela; Yeşilovacık Bay; NE Mediterranean Sea
• Online Access: http://www.nesciences.com/download.php?id=203

The first record of the A. dactylomela from the Mediterranean Sea, in the Strait of Sicily waters was reported in 2002 (Trainito, 2003). Some reports of the A. dactylomela are given in the Mediterranean Sea in Table 1. A specimen of spotted sea hare was seen in a rock pool which was covered with algea. It was first recorded from Yeşilovacık Bay in 2017. Previous record of the species was noted in the Hatay coast of Turkey (Çinar et al. 2006). The present rapid communication reported the first record of A. dactylomela from the Yeşilovacık Bay. One specimen of A. dactylomela was photographed at the infralittoral zone of the Bay on 26 March, 2017, at a depth of 1 m in a rock pool togetter with Padina pavonica (Linnaeus) and other algea.