WEIGHT-LENGTH RELATIONS FOR 103 FISH SPECIES FROM THE SOUTHERN AEGEAN SEA, TURKEY

Abstract

Using a traditional, commercial, crustacean bottom trawl net we collected fish samples from the southern Aegean Sea, from Dec 2009 to Nov 2010, at depths of 30-225 m. We collected a total of 35 428 specimens representing 50 families and 103 species: Argentina sphyraena Linnaeus, 1758; Arnoglossus laterna (Walbaum, 1792); Arnoglossus rueppelii (Cocco, 1844); Arnoglossus thori Kyle, 1913; Belone belone (Linnaeus, 1761); Belone svetovidovi Collette et Parin, 1970; Blennius ocellaris Linnaeus, 1758; Boops boops (Linnaeus, 1758); Bothus podas (Delaroche, 1809); Buglossidium luteum (Risso, 1810); Callionymus lyra Linnaeus, 1758; Callionymus risso Lesueur, 1814; Capros aper (Linnaeus, 1758); Cepola macrophthalma (Linnaeus, 1758); Chelidonichthys cuculus (Linnaeus, 1758); Chelidonichthys lucerne (Linnaeus, 1758); Chlorophthalmus agassizi Bonaparte, 1840; Chromis chromis (Linnaeus, 1758); Citharus linguatula (Linnaeus, 1758); Coelorinchus caelorhincus (Risso, 1810); Conger conger (Linnaeus, 1758); Coris julis (Linnaeus, 1758); Dentex dentex (Linnaeus, 1758); Diplodus annularis (Linnaeus, 1758); Diplodus sargus sargus (Linnaeus, 1758); Diplodus vulgaris (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1817); Echelus myrus (Linnaeus, 1758); Equulites klunzingeri (Steindachner, 1898); Eutrigla gurnardus (Linnaeus, 1758); Fistularia commersonii Rupell, 1838; Gadiculus argenteus Guichenot, 1850; Glossanodon leioglossus (Valenciennes, 1848); Gobius cruentatus Gmelin, 1789; Gobius niger Linnaeus, 1758; Helicolenus dactylopterus (Delaroche, 1809); Hoplostethus mediterraneus Cuvier, 1829; Labrus merula Linnaeus, 1758; Labrus viridis Linnaeus, 1758; Lampanyctus crocodilus (Risso, 1810); Lepidorhombus boscii (Risso, 1810); Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis (Walbaum, 1792); Lepidotrigla cavillone (Lacepede, 1801); Lepidotrigla dieuzeidei Blanc et Hureau, 1973; Lesueurigobius friesii (Malm, 1874); Lithognathus mormyrus (Linnaeus, 1758); Liza ramada (Risso, 1827); Lophius budegassa Spinola, 1807; Lophius piscatorius Linnaeus, 1758; Macroramphosus scolopax (Linnaeus, 1758); Merluccius merluccius (Linnaeus, 1758); Mullus barbatus barbatus Linnaeus, 1758; Mullus surmuletus Linnaeus, 1758; Mustelus mustelus (Linnaeus, 1758); Mustelus punctulatus Risso, 1827; Nemipterus randalli Russell, 1986; Oblada melanura (Linnaeus, 1758); Pagellus acarne (Risso, 1827); Pagellus bogaraveo (Brunich, 1768); Pagellus erythrinus (Linnaeus, 1758); Parablennius tentacularis (Brunich, 1768); Peristedion cataphractum (Linnaeus, 1758); Pomadasys incisus (Bowdich, 1825); Pomatoschistus minutus (Pallas, 1770); Raja miraletus Linnaeus, 1758; Raja radula Delaroche, 1809; Salaria pavo (Risso, 1810); Saurida undosquamis (Richardson, 1848); Sciaena umbra Linnaeus, 1758; Scomber japonicas Houttuyn, 1782; Scophthalmus rhombus (Linnaeus, 1758); Scorpaena notata Rafinesque, 1810; Scorpaena porcus Linnaeus, 1758; Scorpaena scrofa Linnaeus, 1758; Scyliorhinus canicula (Linnaeus, 1758); Scyliorhinus stellaris (Linnaeus, 1758); Serranus cabrilla (Linnaeus, 1758); Serranus hepatus (Linnaeus, 1758); Serranus scriba (Linnaeus, 1758); Solea solea (Linnaeus, 1758); Sphyraena chrysotaenia Klunzinger, 1884; Spicara maena (Linnaeus, 1758); Spondyliosoma cantharus (Linnaeus, 1758); Squalus blainvillei (Risso, 1827); Symphodus cinereus (Bonnaterre, 1788); Symphodus doderleini Jordan, 1890; Symphodus mediterraneus (Linnaeus, 1758); Symphodus melanocercus (Risso, 1810); Symphodus ocellatus (Linnaeus, 1758); Symphodus rostratus (Bloch, 1791); Symphodus tinca (Linnaeus, 1758); Syngnathus acus Linnaeus, 1758; Torpedo marmorata Risso, 1810; Torpedo nobiliana Bonaparte, 1835; Trachinus draco Linnaeus, 1758; Trachurus mediterraneus (Steindachner, 1868); Trachurus picturatus (Bowdich, 1825); Trachurus trachurus (Linnaeus, 1758); Trigla lyra Linnaeus, 1758; Trigloporus lastoviza (Bonnaterre, 1788); Upeneus moluccensis (Bleeker, 1855); Upeneus pori Ben-Tuvia et Golani, 1989; Uranoscopus scaber Linnaeus, 1758; Zeus faber Linnaeus, 1758. We estimated weight-length relations for the fishes collected. Values of the allometric coefficient (b) ranged from 2.1729 for Cepola macrophthalma to 3.6372 for Equulites klunzingeri. All relations were highly significant (P < 0.001), with the majority (94.17% of 103 species) r(2) values being greater than 0.9. Four species evidenced isometric growth, 50 species showed positive allometry, and 49 species have negative allometry. Seven species studied were Lessepsian migrants.