SUBSTANTIATED RECORD AND PRELIMINARY BIOLOGICAL INSIGHTS OF MICROLIPOPHRYS DALMATINUS (STEINDACHNER & KOLOMBATOVIĆ, 1883) FROM THE SEA OF MARMARA, TÜRKIYE

Abstract

This study reports the first evidence-based record of Microlipophrys dalmatinus in the Sea of Marmara, Türkiye. Six specimens were collected using a beach seine between June and October 2024, at Çardak Lagoon in the Çanakkale Strait. The total lengths of the specimens ranged from 19.84 to 37.97 mm (mean: 29.8 ± 3.1 mm), and total weights ranged from 0.08 to 0.41 g (mean: 0.26 ± 0.05 g). The sample consisted of three juveniles collected from the lagoon inlet in August and October, and three ripening females (Stage III) collected from the inner lagoon in June. The current detection of M. dalmatinus in the Sea of Marmara may be either attributed to the species’ cryptobenthic nature and small size, which may have led to it being historically overlooked, or to a recent range expansion driven by the species’ thermophilic nature and rising seawater temperatures.