Turkish Journal of Zoology Turk J Zool (2014) 38: http://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/zoology/ © TÜBİTAK Research Article doi:10.3906/zoo-1405-85 Checklist of Bryozoa on the coasts of Turkey Ferah KOÇAK*, Sinem AYDIN ÖNEN Institute of Marine Sciences and Technology, Dokuz Eylül University, İzmir, Turkey Received: 30.05.2014 Accepted: 28.08.2014 Published Online: 00.00.2014 Printed: 00.00.2014 Abstract: The phylum Bryozoa includes a total of 185 species reported from the Turkish coasts of the Levantine Sea, the Aegean Sea, the Sea of Marmara, and the Black Sea. The class Gymnolaemata is represented by 159 species, followed by the class Stenolaemata (26 species). While the Aegean Sea had the highest species richness (139 species), the lowest bryozoan diversity (8 species) was reported from the Black Sea coast of Turkey. Only 2 alien species, Celleporaria brunnea and Rhynchozoon larreyi, were recorded from the Turkish coasts. Key words: Bryozoa, checklist, Turkish coasts 1. Introduction diversity of bryozoans, which is followed by semicave Bryozoans predominantly occur in marine habitats. They biocoenosis, seagrass meadows (particularly Posidonia are sessile and colonial animals and cover an important oceanica), and photophilic algal biocoenosis (Novosel, part of the hard substrate in coastal environments. The 2005). In a Posidonia oceanica meadow, the scale of leaf phylum Bryozoa has 2 classes and 3 orders in the sea. The variability showed significant variation for encrusting and class Stenolaemata includes the order Cyclostomatida and erect bryozoans, while geographic area differences were the class Gymnolaemata has 2 orders, Ctenostomatida and found to be important for encrusting bryozoans (Pardi et Cheilostomatida. The noncalcified bryozoans are placed in al., 2006). the order Ctenostomatida, whereas the calcified species are Bryozoan diversity in the Mediterranean comprises placed in the orders Cheilostomatida and Cyclostomatida. approximately 10% of 5000 extant bryozoan species The species richness of bryozoans in the Mediterranean recorded worldwide. In the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea Sea is closely related with environmental components of the migrants were recorded in the Levantine Sea, while the studied localities. The lack of recruitment of propagules, Atlantic-originated species are found especially in the homothermy at 13 °C, high salinity, and oligotrophy might Alboran Sea (Harmelin and d’Hondt, 1993; Bianchi and be considered as limiting factors for deep-water bryozoan Morri, 2000). Moreover, 31 out of the 986 alien species species richness noted below 200 m in the Mediterranean introduced to the Mediterranean Sea are bryozoan (Harmelin and d’Hondt, 1993). Bryozoan communities species. The number of nonindigenous bryozoan species are mainly influenced by habitat and substratum types was significantly greater in the eastern Mediterranean Sea (Lombardi et al., 2008; Ben Ismail et al., 2012). Amini and 22 species were introduced to the area by different et al. (2004) found relationships between the bryozoan pathways, such as shipping and the Suez Canal. However, associations and water depth, water energy, sedimentation 7 species that were found in both western and central parts rate, and substrate type. of the Mediterranean might have been introduced through The marine biota of the Mediterranean is composed fouling (Zenetos et al., 2012). of species belonging to several biogeographic categories The first knowledge on marine bryozoan fauna of (Bianchi and Morri, 2000). Bryozoan fauna in the the Turkish seas was given by Forbes (1844). In that Mediterranean Sea possess different biogeographic study, 8 depth ranges extending from 3.66 to 213.36 m distributions, expanding to the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic were distinguished according to their characteristics of Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Red Sea, while some of them the sea floor. In the community, as described by Forbes are endemic for the Mediterranean. Among surveyed (1844), Cellaria ceremioides and Myriapora truncata were biocoenosis, coralligenous habitats harbored the largest determined as the characteristic species of region IV * Correspondence: [email protected] 1 KOÇAK and AYDIN ÖNEN / Turk J Zool (27–64 m) and V (64–100 m), respectively. The taxonomic temporal aspects of fouling communities developed on validity of the former species is currently uncertain. The panels were analyzed in terms of physicochemical variables cyclostome genera, such as Idmonea and Alecto, were in different marinas located on the Aegean coast (Koçak et recorded from the deepest region (VIII) and extended al., 1999; Koçak, 2008). The settlement of bryozoan species to 421 m. Colombo (1885) identifiedFlustra truncata, was investigated considering environmental changes in Retepora cellulosa, and Flustra carbasea in the dredged the marinas. In the inner part of İzmir Bay, morphological, material samples collected from the Dardanelles. In the ecological, and zoogeographical characteristics of an alien Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus, bryozoan species were bryozoan species, Celleporaria brunnea, were discussed by identified with other faunal components by Ostroumoff Koçak (2007). (1894). In another study conducted by Ostroumoff (1896), The aim of this study is to elucidate recent taxonomic plankton and benthic samples were taken from more than and biogeographic knowledge of bryozoan species 60 stations during the ‘Selanik’ expedition to the Sea of recorded from the Turkish coasts. Marmara and Bosphorus, and 49 bryozoan species were determined from different depths and biotopes. Marion 2. Materials and methods (1898) reported 3 bryozoan species, Retepora cellulosa, For preparing the actual checklist of the Turkish bryozoans, Myriozoum truncatum, and Porella cervicornis, obtained all relevant faunal investigations were considered. Species- in the dredged material collected to the north of the Sultan specific data obtained from these works were used to Castle at a depth of 65 m. Description and ecological construct a distributional map (in a grid system, 15 × 15 peculiarities of bryozoan species appearing in faunal km in dimension) of the bryozoan species along the coasts assemblages collected from the Bosphorus and near the of Turkey. In the checklist, the valid names of the species Prince Islands in the Sea of Marmara were given for the are given according to the World Register of Marine Species first time by Demir (1952–1954). The preliminary study (WoRMS, http://www.marinespecies.org) and Integrated conducted by Geldiay and Kocataş (1972) on benthic Taxonomic Information System (ITIS, http://www.itis. organisms of İzmir Bay included 3 bryozoan species, gov) and some monographs and papers (Harmelin, 1976; namely Retepora cellulosa, Membranipora membranacea, d’Hondt, 1983; Hayward and Ryland, 1985, 1998, 1999; and Amathia sp., which were abundantly found in Hayward and McKinney, 2002; Novosel et al., 2005). Uzunada, Tuzla, and Güzelbahçe, respectively. The description and illustration of the bryozoan 3. Results and discussion species collected in the Aegean Sea, Black Sea, and The bryozoan fauna of the Turkish coasts includes a total of Sea of Marmara was done by Ünsal (1975) and Ünsal 185 species. The class Gymnolaemata includes 159 species, and d’Hondt (1978–1979). In addition to species given of which 140 species belong to the order Cheilostomatida as a new record from Turkish coast, Cleidochasmidra and 19 species to the order Ctenostomatida. Moreover, canakkalense Ünsal and d’Hondt was described as a new the class Stenolaemata comprises 26 species. The status species (Ünsal and d’Hondt, 1978–1979). Balkıs (1992) of the Turkish marine fauna was previously given by studied macrobenthic species around Marmara Island Kocataş et al. (2000), who reported 2683 invertebrate and Cryptosula pallasiana was noted as a common species, species, of which 151 species belonged to Bryozoa. They whereas Aetea truncata, Scrupocellaria sp., and Crisia found the highest number of bryozoan species (131) from sp. were rare species. In 1992, the ‘Akdeniz Campaign’ the Aegean Sea. In the present study, the total number of was realized to increase knowledge of the eastern bryozoans obtained from the Aegean Sea has reached 139 Mediterranean fauna. Samples for qualitative study were species. The Sea of Marmara, the Levantine Sea, and the collected by SCUBA divers in a P. oceanica meadow near Black Sea have 89, 66, and 8 bryozoan species, respectively. Yenikaş at the 18–25 m depth range. Additionally, the The highest number of species belonging to orders knowledge of geographic distributions of 32 bryozoan Cheilostomatida, Ctenostomatida, and Cyclostomatida species were given. Previously unrecorded species Aetea was reported from the Aegean Sea. The total number of lepadiformis, Pentapora ottomulleriana, Fenestrulina species and their distributions among orders show that joannae, and Microporella umbracula and one new Indo- the highest species richness was followed by the Sea of Pacific species, Schedocleidochasma porcellaniformis, were Marmara and Levantine Sea. However, in the Black Sea, noted for the eastern Mediterranean Sea (Nicoletti et only Cheilostomatida species were recorded (Figure 1). al., 1995). After a period of time, S. porcellaniformis was The localities with hard substrates had the highest renamed as Plesiocleidochasma mediterraneum (Chimenz species richness (63 species), while the soft substrates were Gusso and Soule, 2003). During the same expedition, a characterized by 23 species. Furthermore, 19