REOCCURRENCE OF A COMMERCIAL EURYHALINE FISH SPECIES, Atherina boyeri Risso, 1810 (Atherinidae) IN BÜYÜKÇEKMECE RESERVOIR (ISTANBUL, TURKEY)

Abstract

The big-scale sand smelt, Atherina boyeri Risso, 1810 was recorded for the first time from Bü yü kç ekmece Reservoir (İstanbul, Turkey) in 1982. However, recent studies on the fish fauna of Bü yü kç ekmece Reservoir indicated that A. boyeri did not exist in the reservoir. In the present study, which was originally planned for determining biological features of perch, Perca fluviatilis Linnaeus, 1758 in the reservoir, existence of A. boyeri was determined in the stomach contents of two P. fluviatilis individuals captured in October and November 2009. Possible reasons for reappearance of the species are discussed.