Integrating Literature, Biodiversity Databases, and Citizen-Science to Reconstruct the Checklist of Chondrichthyans in Cyprus (Eastern Mediterranean Sea)
by
, , , , , , , ,
Ioannis Giovos
1,2,3,4,*, 
Fabrizio Serena
5
,
Dimitra Katsada
2,6,
Athanasios Anastasiadis
2,3,
Adi Barash
7,8,
Charis Charilaou
9,
Jason M. Hall-Spencer
10,11
,
Fabio Crocetta
12,
Alexander Kaminas
2,
Demetris Kletou
1,13,
Mary Maximiadi
2,
Vasileios Minasidis
2,3
,
Dimitrios K. Moutopoulos
3
,
Roxani Naasan Aga-Spyridopoulou
2,
Ioannis Thasitis
9 and
Periklis Kleitou
1,2,10
1
Marine and Environmental Research (MER) Lab, Limassol 4533, Cyprus
2
iSea, Environmental Organisation for the Preservation of the Aquatic Ecosystems, 54645 Thessaloniki, Greece
3
Department of Animal Production, Fisheries & Aquaculture, University of Patras, 30200 Mesolongi, Greece
4
Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via U. Bassi 58/B, I-35131 Padova, Italy
5
Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology, National Research Council (CNR-IRBIM), I-91026 Mazara del Vallo, Italy
6
School of Spatial Planning and Development, Faculty of Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
7
School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, Haifa 3498838, Israel
8
Sharks in Israel, NGO for the Conservation of Sharks and Rays, Amirim 1214000, Israel
9
Department of Fisheries and Marine Research, Fisheries Resources Division, Nicosia 2033, Cyprus
10
School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK
11
Shimoda Marine Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Shizuoka 415-0025, Japan
12
Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, I-80121 Napoli, Italy
13
Department of Maritime Transport and Commerce, Frederick University, Limassol 3080, Cyprus
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Fishes 2021, 6(3), 24; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/fishes6030024
Submission received: 1 July 2021
/
Revised: 19 July 2021
/
Accepted: 20 July 2021
/
Published: 26 July 2021
Abstract
:Chondrichthyans are apex predators influencing the trophic web through a top-down process thus their depletion will affect the remaining biota. Notwithstanding that, research on chondrichthyans is sparse or data-limited in several biogeographic areas worldwide, including the Levantine Sea. We revise and update the knowledge of chondrichthyans in Cyprus based on a bibliographic review that gains information retrieved from peer-reviewed and grey literature, Global Biodiversity Information Facility (135 records of at least 18 species) and the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (65 records of at least14 species), and the citizen science project Mediterranean Elasmobranchs Citizen Observations (117 records per 23 species). Our updated checklist reports 60 species that account for about 70% of the Mediterranean chondrichthyan biota. The list includes 15 more species than the previous checklist and our study reports three new species for Cyprus waters, namely the blackmouth catshark Dalatias licha, the round fantail stingray Taeniurops grabatus, and the sawback angelshark Squatina aculeata. Our research highlights the need for conservation measures and more studies regarding the highly threatened blackchin guitarfish Glaucostegus cemiculus and the devil ray Mobula mobular, and stresses the importance for training a new generation of observers to strengthen the knowledge and conservation of elasmobranchs in the region.
1. Introduction
Chondrichthyans (sharks, skates, rays, sawfish, and chimeras) play a pivotal role in the marine environment, providing stability to coastal and oceanic ecosystem structures and functions [1,2]. Nevertheless, they are heavily overfished worldwide [3,4], with targeted fisheries and bycatch constituting the most significant threats to the conservation of demersal and pelagic species [4,5]. This also holds true for the Mediterranean Sea, which used to be considered over the centuries as a chondrichthyan hotspot; at least 50% of its shark and ray species are now threatened with extinction, extirpation, and steep population declines [6,7,8]. Limited economic resources, political instability, difficulties in species identification, and low population densities also hamper the conservation of Mediterranean aquatic resources and, in general, of chondrichthyan species [7,9]. Illegal landings, mainly by North African fishing fleets, and slow progress in the implementation of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management—provisioned by the European Union (EU) Common Fisheries Policy and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) declarations—are also jeopardizing population recoveries of these taxa in the Mediterranean Sea [8]. Finally, declines are generally happening before we gain reasonable knowledge of several cartilaginous taxa, with 13 species of those living in the Mediterranean Sea still listed as “data deficient” according to the Red List evaluation of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) [10].
Open-access databases and citizen science are rapidly, and cost-effectively improving the extent and reach of shared information on marine biodiversity, often filling long-lasting knowledge gaps [11,12]. Data sharing tools such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF, https://www.gbif.org/; accessed on 1 May 2020) and the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS, https://obis.org/; accessed on 1 May 2020) facilitate access to species records. Advances in social media and mobile-phone applications have strengthened citizen science [13], providing extensive information about occurrence data in several phylogenetic groups, including chondrichthyans [9,14,15,16,17,18,19]. The use of internet and crowdsourcing platforms for ecology (also known as “iEcology”) moves beyond traditional research studies and generates data about ecological patterns and processes (e.g., species occurrences, distributional range shifts) from digitally stored sources that would otherwise be unavailable [20,21]. They provide access to an unprecedented source of information that scientists have only recently started to explore [15,22]. These “new-generation” tools are highly useful in supporting correct species identifications and creating more effective and data-driven conservation strategies.
We combined (i) an extensive literature review with information gained from (ii) the online GBIF and OBIS databases and (iii) a focused citizen science project (MECO, Mediterranean Elasmobranchs Citizen Observations) in order to update the knowledge about chondrichthyans living in Cypriot waters. Our aims were to revise the previous chondrichthyan checklist for Cyprus and subsequently better understand whether (i) citizen science can provide crucial data about the biology and ecology of threatened species; (ii) knowledge and conservation of elasmobranchs in the region can be pursued through various approaches.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Area
Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and is located in the Levantine Basin (eastern Mediterranean). Despite its small size (9.251 km2), the marine waters of the Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone represent a significant water body of the eastern Mediterranean, equal to 98.240 km2 (Figure 1). These waters are characterised by low nutrient availability (ultra-oligotrophic waters) and low primary production [23], complex water circulation with seasonal variations, sea temperature ranging from about 16 to 28 °C throughout the year, and salinity reaching up to about 39 PSU [14]. The southern part experiences cooler waters due to upwelling caused by north-westerly winds [24,25]. The coastline is predominantly composed of sand-gravel in the south to south-eastern part, whereas the south-western and the eastern coastline is dominated by rocky substrata [26]. The local marine ecosystems and species assemblages are undergoing rapid changes due to multiple pressures acting synergistically, including invasive species, climate change, habitat loss, pollution, and overexploitation [27].
2.2. Literature Review
We conducted a systematic literature review (up to July 2020), applying the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses approach [28]. We collected chondrichthyan records from peer-reviewed publications archived in Google Scholar using the keyword “Cyprus” plus the search terms “chondrichthyan(s)”, “elasmobranch(s)”, “shark(s)”, “batoid(s)”, “ray(s)” and “skate(s)” to identify items with relevant titles, keywords, or abstracts. We selected “anytime” for the publication date. After duplicates were removed, 158 publications remained to be screened.
We furthermore searched for chondrichthyan records in government reports and policy documents. In particular, these included:
- CYP EU Data Collection Framework (DCF) reports, published between 2005–2019 and available at the following webpage: https://datacollection.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ars; accessed on 1 May 2021, including the scientific survey data of the International Bottom Trawl Survey in the Mediterranean (MEDITS);
Data retrieved from all the above-mentioned sources included (when available) the fish species, the year of sighting, the location, the depth, and the year of publication.
2.3. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS)
The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is the largest open-access primary biodiversity database and contains over 1.5 billion species occurrence records [12,31]. The Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS), a global open-access database on marine biodiversity for science, conservation, and sustainable development, is focused on marine species and contains more than 6.5 million records for 137,215 species [32]. We searched GBIF and OBIS for chondrichthyan records from the Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone (as defined above) and downloaded them. We checked pictures and records to exclude duplicates from the two databases and the MECO dataset and converted the data to the MECO database format for analysis (see below).
2.4. Citizen Science: The Mediterranean Elasmobranchs Citizen Observations (MECO) Project
The MECO project was launched in 2014 in response to enthusiastic scuba divers uploading pictures of sharks and rays from their dives [33]. It aims to collate knowledge on chondrichthyan occurrence, seasonality, and distribution using citizen science and social media. The project involves the collaboration of local scientists, which gradually expanded operation to eleven countries and ten Facebook groups (www.facebook.com/pg/theMECOproject; accessed on 1 May 2020). In MECO, participants report their sightings with photographic evidence. Scientific experts request further information, when needed, such as date, location, specimen length and weight, number of individuals observed, and depth of the observation (if applicable). The experts then check pictures for authenticity by using a Google automatic image recognition tool, and identify all original pictures to the lowest possible taxonomic level. Whenever possible, experts also record data such as maturity, gestation, and sex. Finally, there is also a two-way dialogue between citizen participants and scientific experts to retrieve historical records based on old pictures and social media posts.
2.5. Updated Taxonomy and Nomenclature
Bibliographic data were critically analysed and taxonomically updated to the latest nomenclature available. Specimens recorded through open-access databases and the MECO project were identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible following [34,35]. Species nomenclature follows the Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes [36].
3. Results
Updated Checklist of Chondrichthyans in Cyprus
The literature review revealed 12 publications reporting chondrichthyan records in Cypriot waters (Table 1 and references therein). Twenty more articles mentioned cartilaginous fishes to occur around Cyprus, but they did not have sufficient information about sightings to be included in our review (e.g., general reports with no coordinated or declared areas around Cyprus, reports of species found in auction markets, papers based on International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) data working with offshore longlining boats potentially in international waters, field identification guides, and publications from other locations (e.g., Spain) that appeared in the search), and thus were excluded.
Data mining in GBIF yielded 135 records, with over half of them (n = 85) recorded in 2009. Notably, 89 records (reported as MATERIAL_SAMPLE) were from scientific surveys (e.g., [37]), including 55 from the DFMR and 23 from Dr. Andrew Griffiths at the University of Exeter (United Kingdom). About a third of these records were reported as PRESERVED_SPECIMEN, mainly by DFMR. The majority (~71%) of these records regard specimens subsequently identified to the species level. Spurdog sharks of the genus Squalus Linnaeus, 1758 were the specimens most frequently reported (n = 39), followed by the marbled electric ray Torpedo marmorata (Risso, 1810) (n = 21). The blackmouth catshark Galeus melastomus (Rafinesque, 1810) and the thornback ray Raja clavata (Linnaeus, 1758) were recorded ten times each. One of the DFMR records refers to the kitefin shark Dalatias licha (Bonnaterre, 1788), a species not recorded yet from Cyprus in the scientific literature (Table 1). Data mining in OBIS yielded 69 additional records of at least14 chondrichthyan species, with the majority of records (n = 48) coming from the BOLD Public Fish Data dataset (https://obis.org/dataset/292f775d-c300-4e21-8af2-b3b16a0a0ddc; accessed on 1 May 2020). No duplicates between OBIS and GBIF were found. Among records included, Raja clavata was the species most frequently reported, followed by the brown ray Raja miraletus Linnaeus, 1758 (n = 6) and by T. marmorata (n = 6).
The MECO project yielded 117 chondrichthyan observations of at least 23 different species. These sightings spanned the years 1970–2020, but most (78%) were from 2016–2019 (Table A1). Over half (54%) of the records were collected between June and September. Around half of the records came from recreational fishers (Figure 2B), 17% from scuba-divers (Figure 2C), 15% from snorkelers (Figure 2C), and 10% from professional fishers (Figure 2A). Most specimens were identified to species level, and the most common reports included the blackchin guitarfish Glaucostegus cemiculus (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1817) (n = 15), the common stingray Dasyatis pastinaca (Linnaeus, 1758) (n = 11), and the bull ray Aetomylaeus bovinus (Geoffroy St. Hilaire, 1817) (n = 10). Observations of the round fantail stingray Taeniurops grabatus (Geoffroy St. Hilaire, 1817) and of the sawback angelshark Squatina aculeata (Cuvier, 1829) also constituted the first records of these species in Cyprus (Table 1; Figure 3).
4. Discussion
The updated chondrichthyan fauna of Cyprus now includes 32 species of sharks and 28 species of batoids (skates and rays), and accounts for about 70% of the total chondrichthyan biota known from the Mediterranean Sea [7]. We do not expect that this list is complete or free from errors. In fact, shallow habitats around Cyprus are indeed targeted by recreational and professional fishers, and are regularly dived year-round by locals and tourists, thus providing a wealth of photographic records of inshore chondrichthyans. However, the deep-sea waters around Cyprus are almost unexplored, and this may be why, since the last list provided by [30], 15 new species have been recorded in the past 15 years. Finally, four species are listed here with caution, namely Sphyrna mokarran (Rüppell, 1837), Carcharhinus brevipinna (Valenciennes, 1839), and Carcharhinus melanopterus (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824), whose Mediterranean records are generally very scarce and often based on misidentifications [7], and Dasyatis marmorata (Steindachner, 1892), whose records should be confirmed through molecular means [7].
Despite these potential limitations, results of the present study confirm the importance of open-access biodiversity databases and citizen science approaches. Alongside these data, EU guidelines for data policy (EU REG 2017/1004), the Open Data Directive that entered into force on 16 July 2019 (Directive (EU) 2019/1024) to promote “open access policies” from publicly funded research and the FAIR (findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability) principles should be also taken into consideration for the elaboration of an open-access and transparent framework for commercial and survey fisheries data, in parallel to what is already in use for data in other areas including the ICES area. GBIF and OBIS records respectively accounted for 42.5% and 20.4% of the final dataset, including a species new for Cyprus. Funding and institutional support to such databases are critical, as these data may be useful in order to influence science-based policy decisions [12,50].
The citizen science MECO project yielded more than 100 unpublished elasmobranch records in a single year, including those of two species newly recorded here from Cyprus. It also allowed us to trace relevant data regarding historical ecology and species biology and ecology. As an example, until our work, the big eye thresher shark Alopias superciliosus Lowe, 1841 was only known from Cyprus based on records held in 2010 and 2015 [45]. We collected evidence that the species had been recorded from Cyprus since at least ~1970, but was probably misidentified in the past as the common thresher Alopias vulpinus (Bonnaterre, 1788). Our data also confirm the findings of [49], who suggested that Cyprus should be considered a crucial area for the conservation of G. cemiculus, a species listed as critically endangered by the IUCN Red List and whose populations have drastically decreased all along the African coastline due to overfishing [51]. In addition to Cyprus, this taxon now only survives in few locations in the Mediterranean Sea, namely, the Gulf of Gabes [52], the Israel coast [53], and Iskenderun Bay [54]. In addition, we recorded a pregnant G. cemiculus, suggesting that members of this species nurse and potentially spawn in Cyprus; a specimen of A. bovinus observed on different days in Akrotiri Bay (south coast of Cyprus), suggesting site fidelity by this species; migration routes by M. mobular, with aggregations of large specimens occurring in late winter–early spring; and in general, spawning aggregations of stingrays (Dasyatis pastinaca and Bathytoshia lata), with pregnant females observed during spring and summer seasons.
Apart from the data and the observations new reported here, we noticed that professional fishers communicated (caught) elasmobranchs listed as Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List in 67% of the cases, whereas this percentage decreased to 52% when analysing data provided by recreational fishers. These numbers agree with other Mediterranean studies; for example, about 50–60% of the elasmobranch landings in Greek sites were threatened species [55]. However, it is also possible that fishers mostly communicated to us species perceived as rare, while other common taxa (such as, for example, Raja species) were usually considered as of “no interest”. Finally, we traced ten illegal fishing activities, accounting for 8% of the MECO records available. In addition, one participant posted on social media an encounter with the vulnerable species Isurus oxyrinchus Rafinesque, 1810, but then a spear fisher used this information to locate and kill the fish. Although the fisher may have been potentially unaware of its protection status and conservation importance, the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research of Cyprus initiated legal procedures against him, with the results of this procedure still pending. Such information is vital in understanding interactions of fishers with vulnerable and threatened species as well as illegal incidents that might occur.
5. Conclusions
Our study highlights the knowledge gaps that exist in elasmobranch occurrence, ecology, and interactions with human activities. In response, Cyprus has recently increased the scientific team involved in the data collection framework through the DFMR, recognising a major opportunity for capacity building in monitoring programs with more on-board fisheries observations. Given the success of citizen science projects in other regions and the emergence of MECO project, the training of divers and snorkelers using bespoke local identification guides may offer another cost-effective means of obtaining data on diversity, abundance, and seasonality of elasmobranchs around Cyprus. Satellite tracking, acoustic tagging, and baited remote underwater video cameras may also offer a suite of more technical tools to recognise the importance of Cypriot waters for Mediterranean chondrichthyans. An ongoing EU-LIFE project (Elasmobranch Low Impact Fishing Experience) includes the training of monitoring authorities and fishers on species identification, relevant legislation, safe release of individuals, as well as satellite tagging to estimate mortalities following incidental by-catch. In addition, the DFMR, in cooperation with a regional FAO project (EastMed and General Fisheries Commission of Mediterranean), organised a tailored species identification webinar for scientific observers, officers, and control inspectors, in order to enhance data quality and acquisition. This activity is provisioned to be an ongoing process and was already proposed at the last EastMed project annual coordination committee meeting (by the Cyprus delegation) to have a regionalised application. The hope is that all these efforts will reduce fishing impacts and will turn the tide in favour of heightened protection of the Cypriot and Mediterranean chondrichthyans and biota in general.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization: I.G.; methodology: I.G., P.K., D.K.M. and F.S.; validation: F.S., I.T., C.C., A.B., D.K. (Demetris Kletou) and F.C.; formal analysis: I.G. and D.K. (Dimitra Katsada); data curation: I.G., V.M., A.A., A.K., M.M. and R.N.A.-S.; writing—original draft preparation: I.G. and P.K.; writing—review and editing: all co-authors; visualization: I.G.; supervision: P.K., F.S., J.M.H.-S. and D.K.M.; project funding acquisition: P.K., D.K. (Demetris Kletou) and I.G. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research was funded by the LIFE ELIFE project (grant number LIFE18 NAT/IT/000846).
Institutional Review Board Statement
Not applicable.
Informed Consent Statement
Not applicable.
Acknowledgments
We warmly thank all citizen scientists that reported elasmobranch observations and all MECO members that helped to gather data from our region. This work was supported by the LIFE financial instrument of the European Union—LIFE ELIFE project [Grant Agreement LIFE18 NAT/IT/000846] and is part of the joint PhD project of Ioannis Giovos (University of Patras, Greece, and University of Padova, Italy).
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Appendix A
Table A1.
Records of elasmobranchs reported to the Mediterranean Elasmobranchs Citizen Observations (MECO) project including information about the date, the area, the species, the number of individuals, the observation type, the animal status, the growth stage (A/J), the sex (M/F), the depth and the substrate.
Table A1.
Records of elasmobranchs reported to the Mediterranean Elasmobranchs Citizen Observations (MECO) project including information about the date, the area, the species, the number of individuals, the observation type, the animal status, the growth stage (A/J), the sex (M/F), the depth and the substrate.
| Date | Time of Day | Area | Species | Count | Observation Type | Animal Status | A/J | M/F | Depth | Substrate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 August 2019 | Aetomylaeus bovinus | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Adult | Female | Unknown | |||
| 9 August 2019 | Cape Greco | Aetomylaeus bovinus | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Adult | Sandy | |||
| 3 September 2019 | Akrotiri Bay | Aetomylaeus bovinus | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Adult | Female | Unknown | ||
| 31 October 2018 | Aetomylaeus bovinus | 2 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Adult | 8 m | Unknown | |||
| 16 June 2018 | Ammochostos Bay | Aetomylaeus bovinus | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Adult | Rocky | |||
| 27 August 2019 | Ammochostos Bay | Aetomylaeus bovinus | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Adult | 12 m | Sandy | ||
| 27 August 2019 | Daytime | Cape Greco | Aetomylaeus bovinus | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Adult | Sandy | ||
| 14 August 2016 | Akrotiri Bay | Aetomylaeus bovinus | 1 | Recreational | Alive | Adult | Sandy | |||
| 3 September 2019 | Akrotiri Bay | Aetomylaeus bovinus | 1 | Recreational | Alive | Adult | Rocky | |||
| 6 August 2019 | Daytime | Paphos | Bathytoshia centroura | 1 | Recreational | Killed/fished | Adult | Female | 0 | Unknown |
| 2 May 2018 | Cape Greco | Bathytoshia centroura | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Adult | Female | Unknown | ||
| 29 July 2017 | Akrotiri Bay | Bathytoshia centroura | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Adult | Unknown | |||
| 28 June 2019 | Cape Greco | Bathytoshia centroura | 2 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Adult | 12–15 m | Sandy | ||
| 3 August 2019 | Bathytoshia centroura | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Adult | Female | Unknown | |||
| 23 July 2019 | Bathytoshia centroura | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Adult | Female | Sandy | |||
| 1 September 2018 | Paphos | Bathytoshia centroura | 3 | Recreational | Caught and released | Adult | Female | 2 m | Sandy | |
| 14 August 2016 | Akrotiri Bay | Bathytoshia centroura | 1 | Recreational | Alive | Adult | Sandy | |||
| 14 August 2017 | Carcharhinus brevipinna | 1 | Recreational | Killed/fished | Adult | 0 | Unknown | |||
| 23 February 2019 | Carcharhinus plumbeus | 1 | Recreational | Caught and released | Juvenile | Unknown | ||||
| 5 April 2016 | Paphos | Carcharhinus plumbeus | 1 | Recreational | Caught and released | Adult | Female | Unknown | ||
| 20 August 2018 | Akrotiri Bay | Carcharhinus plumbeus | 4 | Recreational | Caught and released | Juvenile | Unknown | |||
| 4 August 2019 | Akrotiri Bay | Carcharhinus sp. | 1 | Recreational | Caught and released | Juvenile | Unknown | |||
| 22 August 2019 | Night | Larnaca Bay | Carcharhinus sp. | 1 | Recreational | Killed/fished | Juvenile | 0 | Unknown | |
| 5 October 2019 | Daytime | Pervolia-Mazotos-Tochni | Carcharhinus sp. | 1 | Recreational | Killed/fished | Juvenile | 0 | Unknown | |
| 24 August 2019 | Daytime | Akrotiri Bay | Carcharhinus sp. | 1 | Recreational | Killed/fished | Juvenile | 0 | Unknown | |
| 5 March 2019 | Carcharhinus sp. | 3 | Professional | Killed/fished | Unknown | |||||
| 7 August 2017 | Paphos | Carcharhinus sp. | 1 | Recreational | Caught and released | Juvenile | Unknown | |||
| 9 August 2017 | Paphos | Carcharhinus sp. | 2 | Recreational | Caught and released | Juvenile | Unknown | |||
| 29 November 2010 | Centrophorus cfr. uyato | 1 | Killed/fished | Adult | Unknown | |||||
| 6 January 2020 | Daytime | Paphos | Centrophorus cfr. uyato | 1 | Recreational | Caught and released | Adult | 0 | Unknown | |
| 1 September 2019 | Akrotiri Bay | Dasyatidae | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Juvenile | 4 m | Sandy | ||
| 18 August 2017 | Akamas | Dasyatidae | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Juvenile | Unknown | |||
| 7 August 2018 | Akamas | Dasyatidae | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Juvenile | Sandy | |||
| 2 August 2017 | Akamas | Dasyatidae | 4 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Adult | Male | 5–6 m | Unknown | |
| 1 June 2019 | Ammochostos Bay | Dasyatidae | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Juvenile | Sandy | |||
| 4 July 2018 | Akrotiri Bay | Dasyatis pastinaca | 3 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | 4 m | Rocky | |||
| 25 June 2018 | Akamas | Dasyatis pastinaca | 12 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Juvenile | Sandy | |||
| 3 September 2019 | Akrotiri Bay | Dasyatis pastinaca | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Juvenile | Sandy | |||
| Paphos | Dasyatis pastinaca | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Female | Sandy | ||||
| 1 July 2017 | Episkopi Bay | Dasyatis pastinaca | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Adult | Unknown | |||
| 21 June 2017 | Ammochostos Bay | Dasyatis pastinaca | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Juvenile | Sandy | |||
| 23 September 2018 | Paphos | Dasyatis pastinaca | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Sandy | ||||
| 9 June 2019 | Ammochostos Bay | Dasyatis pastinaca | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Juvenile | Sandy | |||
| 11 July 2019 | Paphos | Dasyatis pastinaca | 7 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | 5 m | Sandy | |||
| 3 February 2019 | Paphos | Galeus melastomus | 1 | Recreational | Caught and released | Unknown | ||||
| 13 July 2016 | Night | Akrotiri Bay | Glaucostegus cemiculus | 1 | Recreational | Killed/fished | Juvenile | 0 | Unknown | |
| 11 September 2018 | Larnaca Bay | Glaucostegus cemiculus | 1 | Recreational | Caught and released | Adult | Male | Unknown | ||
| 11 September 2018 | Larnaca Bay | Glaucostegus cemiculus | 1 | Recreational | Caught and released | Adult | Unknown | |||
| 2 April 2019 | Glaucostegus cemiculus | 1 | Recreational | Caught and released | Juvenile | Male | 2–3 m | Sandy | ||
| 17 September 2019 | Larnaca Bay | Glaucostegus cemiculus | 1 | Recreational | Killed/fished | Adult | Male | 2–3 m | Sandy | |
| 8 February 2018 | Akrotiri Bay | Glaucostegus cemiculus | 1 | Caught and released | Juvenile | Unknown | ||||
| 12 September 2015 | Zygi | Glaucostegus cemiculus | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Adult | Seaweed beds or patches | |||
| Paphos | Glaucostegus cemiculus | 1 | Recreational | Caught and released | Adult | Female | Unknown | |||
| 18 August 2018 | Larnaca Bay | Glaucostegus cemiculus | 1 | Recreational | Caught and released | Adult | 2 m | Unknown | ||
| 19 July 2018 | Larnaca Bay | Glaucostegus cemiculus | 1 | Recreational | Caught and released | Adult | Male | Muddy | ||
| 14 August 2016 | Akrotiri Bay | Glaucostegus cemiculus | 1 | Recreational | Alive | Adult | Female | Sandy | ||
| 11 October 2018 | Cape Greco | Gymnura altavela | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Adult | Sandy | |||
| 8 November 2018 | Cape Greco | Gymnura altavela | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Adult | Sandy | |||
| 14 June 2019 | Cape Greco | Gymnura altavela | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Sandy | ||||
| 6 January 2020 | Morning | Paphos | Hexanchus griseus | 1 | Recreational | Killed/fished | Adult | 0 | Unknown | |
| 7 May 2010 | Morning | Zygi | Hexanchus griseus | 1 | Professional | Killed/fished | 0 | Unknown | ||
| 25 July 2015 | Daytime | Cape Greco | Hexanchus sp. | 1 | Recreational | Killed/fished | Adult | 0 | Unknown | |
| 14 May 2018 | Larnaca Bay | Isurus oxyrinchus | 1 | Recreational | Caught and released | Juvenile | 50 m | Unknown | ||
| 25 June 2019 | Daytime | Crhysochou Bay | Isurus oxyrinchus | 1 | Recreational | Killed/fished | Juvenile | 90 | Unknown | |
| March 2008 | Morning | Paphos | Isurus oxyrinchus | 1 | Professional | Killed/fished | 0 | Unknown | ||
| 9 December 2016 | Akrotiri Bay | Isurus oxyrinchus | 1 | Professional | Caught and released | Juvenile | 0 | Unknown | ||
| 21 September 2009 | Daytime | Akamas | Isurus oxyrinchus | 1 | Professional | Killed/fished | Adult | 0 | Unknown | |
| 15 July 2016 | Morning | Paphos | Isurus oxyrinchus | 1 | Professional | Killed/fished | Adult | 0 | Unknown | |
| 23 March 2019 | Akrotiri Bay | Mobula mobular | 2 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Unknown | ||||
| 26 March 2020 | Morning | Akamas | Mobula mobular | 20 | Alive | Adult | 0 | Unknown | ||
| 1 July 2019 | Episkopi Bay | Mustelus asterias | 2 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | 8 m | Rocky | |||
| 5 April 2018 | Akrotiri Bay | Prionace glauca | 2 | Alive | 6 m | Unknown | ||||
| 16 May 2018 | Landbased | Raja radula | 1 | Caught and released | Juvenile | Unknown | ||||
| 2 September 2018 | Squalus blainville | 1 | Recreational | Caught and released | Unknown | |||||
| 4 February 2019 | Paphos | Squalus blainville | 1 | Recreational | Caught and released | Juvenile | Unknown | |||
| 22 August 2018 | Larnaca Bay | Squalus blainville | 2 | Recreational | Killed/fished | Juvenile | 350 m | Muddy | ||
| 15 January 2019 | Daytime | Paphos | Squalus blainville | 1 | Recreational | Caught and released | Juvenile | 0 | Unknown | |
| 29 April 2018 | Paphos | Squalus blainville | 1 | Killed/fished | Unknown | |||||
| 17 December 2017 | Akrotiri Bay | Squalus sp. | 3 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Adult | 210 m | Unknown | ||
| 8 October 2019 | Akrotiri Bay | Torpedo marmorata | 1 | Killed/fished | Adult | 0.5 | Sandy | |||
| April 2008 | Daytime | Cape Greco | Torpedo marmorata | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Adult | 14 m | Sandy | |
| 17 December 2019 | Daytime | Unknown | 1 | Recreational | Killed/fished | 0 | Unknown | |||
| 21 January 2019 | Unknown | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Unknown | |||||
| 6 June 2019 | Night | Akrotiri Bay | Glaucostegus cemiculus | 1 | Recreational | Caught and released | Juvenile | Unknown | ||
| 19 July 2019 | Morning | Paphos | Hexanchidae | 1 | Killed/fished | 0 | Unknown | |||
| 16 May 2016 | Night | Ammochostos Bay | Hexanchus griseus | 1 | Professional | Killed/fished | Adult | 0 | Unknown | |
| 16 July 2017 | Larnaca Bay | Hexanchus griseus | 1 | Not Specified | Juvenile | Unknown | ||||
| 30 April 2018 | Akrotiri Bay | Hexanchus sp. | 1 | Found dead | Male | Unknown | ||||
| 11 May 2019 | Hexanchus sp. | 1 | Recreational | Killed/fished | Adult | Female | Unknown | |||
| 10 May 2019 | Noon | Ammochostos Bay | Isurus oxyrinchus | 2 | Professional | Killed/fished | 50 | Unknown | ||
| 27 March 2017 | Paphos | Isurus oxyrinchus | 1 | Killed/fished | Juvenile | Unknown | ||||
| 1970s | Chrysochou Bay | Alopias superciliosus | 1 | Professional | Killed/fished | Adult | Unknown | |||
| 1970s | Akamas | Isurus oxyrinchus | 1 | Professional | Killed/fished | Adult | Unknown | |||
| 1970s | Akamas | Odontaspis ferox | 1 | Professional | Killed/fished | Adult | Unknown | |||
| 10 February 2020 | Paphos | Squatina aculeata | 1 | Recreational | Killed/fished | Adult | Female | Unknown | ||
| 1977 | Akamas | Taeniurops grabatus | 1 | Recreational | Killed/fished | Adult | Unknown | |||
| 3 September 2019 | Akrotiri Bay | Aetomylaeus bovinus | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Adult | Female | Sandy | ||
| 30 August 2018 | Bathytoshia centroura | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Adult | Unknown | ||||
| 16 April 2019 | Daytime | Paphos | Carcharhinus brevipinna | 1 | Recreational | Killed/fished | Adult | 0 | Unknown | |
| 20 March 2019 | Daytime | Zygi | Carcharhinus plumbeus | 1 | Alive | Adult | 0 | Water column | ||
| 13 August 2014 | Daytime | Paphos | Carcharhinus sp. | 1 | Recreational | Killed/fished | Juvenile | 0 | Unknown | |
| 1 November 2014 | Night | Dasyatidae | 1 | Recreational | Killed/fished | Adult | Unknown | |||
| 16 May 2015 | Dasyatis pastinaca | 1 | Recreational | Caught and released | Juvenile | Unknown | ||||
| 15 June 2015 | Daytime | Pervolia-Mazotos-Tochni | Dasyatis pastinaca | 1 | Recreational | Alive | Adult | Female | Sandy | |
| 5 August 2013 | Crhysochou Bay | Glaucostegus cemiculus | 1 | Recreational | Caught and released | Juvenile | Unknown | |||
| 7 September 2017 | Paphos | Glaucostegus cemiculus | 1 | Recreational | Caught and released | Unknown | ||||
| 1 November 2015 | Glaucostegus cemiculus | 1 | Recreational | Alive | Sandy | |||||
| 9 June 2015 | Night | Paphos | Gymnura altavela | 1 | Recreational | Killed/fished | Adult | Unknown | ||
| 24 April 2016 | Morning | Pervolia-Mazotos-Tochni | Hexanchus griseus | 1 | Recreational | Killed/fished | Adult | Male | 0 | Unknown |
| 23 November 2019 | Daytime | Larnaca Bay | Hexanchus griseus | 1 | Recreational | Killed/fished | Adult | Female | 0 | Unknown |
| 23 April 2016 | Daytime | Akrotiri Bay | Hexanchus nakamurai | 1 | Recreational | Caught and released | Adult | Male | 500 | Unknown |
| 24 April 2016 | Akrotiri Bay | Hexanchus sp. | 1 | Recreational | Unknown | Unknown | ||||
| 27 December 2019 | Daytime | Akrotiri Bay | Prionace glauca | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | 1 | Sandy | ||
| 27 November 2019 | Morning | Akrotiri Bay | Prionace glauca | 1 | Alive | 0 | Unknown | |||
| 14 July 2013 | Pervolia-Mazotos-Tochni | Taeniurops grabatus | 1 | Recreational | Killed/fished | Adult | 20 m | Unknown | ||
| 21 March 2019 | Daytime | Paphos | Unknown | 1 | Professional | Killed/fished | Adult | 0 | Unknown | |
| 30 June 2020 | Daytime | Cape Greco | Dasyatis marmorata | 1 | Scuba Diving-Snorkelling | Alive | Adult | Seaweed beds or patches |
References
- Ferretti, F.; Worm, B.; Britten, G.L.; Heithaus, M.R.; Lotze, H.K. Patterns and ecosystem consequences of shark declines in the ocean. Ecol. Lett. 2010, 13, 1055–1071. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Heithaus, M.R.; Wirsing, A.J.; Dill, L.M. The ecological importance of intact top-predator populations: A synthesis of 15 years of research in a seagrass ecosystem. Mar. Freshw. Res. 2012, 63, 1039–1050. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Dulvy, N.K.; Fowler, S.L.; Musick, J.A.; Cavanagh, R.D.; Kyne, P.; Harrison, L.R.; Carlson, J.K.; Davidson, L.N.; Fordham, S.V.; Francis, M.P.; et al. Extinction risk and conservation of the world’s sharks and rays. eLife 2014, 3, e00590. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Green Version]
- Pacoureau, N.; Rigby, C.L.; Kyne, P.M.; Sherley, R.B.; Winker, H.; Carlson, J.K.; Fordham, S.V.; Barreto, R.; Fernando, D.; Francis, M.P.; et al. Half a century of global decline in oceanic sharks and rays. Nature 2021, 589, 567–571. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Ramírez-Amaro, S.; Ordines, F.; Esteban, A.; García, C.; Guijarro, B.; Salmerón, F.; Terrasa, B.; Massutí, E. The diversity of recent trends for chondrichthyans in the Mediterranean reflects fishing exploitation and a potential evolutionary pressure towards early maturation. Sci. Rep. 2020, 10, 547. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Dulvy, N.; Allen, D.; Ralph, G.; Walls, R. The Conservation Status of Sharks, Rays and Chimaeras in the Mediterranean Sea [Brochure]; IUCN: Malaga, Spain, 2016. [Google Scholar]
- Serena, F.; Abella, A.J.; Bargnesi, F.; Barone, M.; Colloca, F.; Ferretti, F.; Fiorentino, F.; Jenrette, J.; Moro, S. Species diversity, taxonomy and distribution of Chondrichthyes in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. Eur. Zool. J. 2020, 87, 497–536. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Milazzo, M.; Cattano, C.; Al Mabruk, S.A.A.; Giovos, I. Mediterranean sharks and rays need action. Science 2021, 371, 355–356. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Bargnesi, F.; Lucrezi, S.; Ferretti, F. Opportunities from citizen science for shark conservation, with a focus on the Mediterranean Sea. Eur. Zool. J. 2020, 87, 20–34. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Walls, R.H.; Dulvy, N.K. Eliminating the dark matter of data deficiency by predicting the conservation status of Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea sharks and rays. Biol. Conserv. 2020, 246, 108459. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Flemons, P.; Guralnick, R.; Krieger, J.; Ranipeta, A.; Neufeld, D. A web-based GIS tool for exploring the world’s biodiversity: The Global Biodiversity Information Facility Mapping and Analysis Portal Application (GBIF-MAPA). Ecol. Inform. 2007, 2, 49–60. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ball-Damerow, J.E.; Brenskelle, L.; Barve, N.; Soltis, P.S.; Sierwald, P.; Bieler, R.; Lafrance, R.; Ariño, A.H.; Guralnick, R.P. Research applications of primary biodiversity databases in the digital age. PLoS ONE 2019, 14, e0215794. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Liberatore, A.; Bowkett, E.; MacLeod, C.J.; Spurr, E.; Longnecker, N. Social Media as a Platform for a Citizen Science Community of Practice. Citiz. Sci. Theory Pract. 2018, 3. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Crocetta, F.; Gofas, S.; Salas, C.; Tringali, L.; Zenetos, A. Local ecological knowledge versus published literature: A review of non-indigenous Mollusca in Greek marine waters. Aquat. Invasions 2017, 12, 415–434. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Giovos, I.; Stoilas, V.O.; Al-Mabruk, S.A.; Doumpas, N.; Marakis, P.; Maximiadi, M.; Moutopoulos, D.; Kleitou, P.; Keramidas, I.; Tiralongo, F. Integrating local ecological knowledge, citizen science and long-term historical data for endangered species conservation: Additional records of angel sharks (Chondrichthyes: Squatinidae) in the Mediterranean Sea. Aquat. Conserv. Mar. Freshw. Ecosyst. 2019, 29, 881–890. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Giovos, I.; Arculeo, M.; Doumpas, N.; Katsada, D.; Maximiadi, M.; Mitsou, E.; Paravas, V.; Aga-Spyridopoulou, R.N.; Stoilas, V.-O.; Tiralongo, F.; et al. Assessing multiple sources of data to detect illegal fishing, trade and mislabelling of elasmobranchs in Greek markets. Mar. Policy 2020, 112, 103730. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Mancusi, C.; Baino, R.; Fortuna, C.; Gil De Sola, L.; Morey, G.; Bradai, M.N.; Kallianotis, A.; Soldo, A.; Hemida, F.; Saad, A.A.; et al. MEDLEM database, a data collection on large Elasmobranchs in the Mediterranean and Black seas. Mediterr. Mar. Sci. 2020, 21, 276–288. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Spyridopoulou, R.N.A.; Langeneck, J.; Bouziotis, D.; Giovos, I.; Kleitou, P.; Kalogirou, S. Filling the Gap of Data-Limited Fish Species in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea: A Contribution by Citizen Science. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2020, 8, 107. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Tiralongo, F.; Crocetta, F.; Riginella, E.; Lillo, A.O.; Tondo, E.; Macali, A.; Mancini, E.; Russo, F.; Coco, S.; Paolillo, G.; et al. Snapshot of rare, exotic and overlooked fish species in the Italian seas: A citizen science survey. J. Sea Res. 2020, 164, 101930. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Jarić, I.; Correia, R.A.; Brook, B.W.; Buettel, J.C.; Courchamp, F.; Di Minin, E.; Firth, J.A.; Gaston, K.J.; Jepson, P.; Kalinkat, G.; et al. iEcology: Harnessing Large Online Resources to Generate Ecological Insights. Trends Ecol. Evol. 2020, 35, 630–639. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Jarić, I.; Roll, U.; Arlinghaus, R.; Belmaker, J.; Chen, Y.; China, V.; Douda, K.; Essl, F.; Jähnig, S.C.; Jeschke, J.M.; et al. Expanding conservation culturomics and iEcology from terrestrial to aquatic realms. PLoS Biol. 2020, 18, e3000935. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Kobori, H.; Dickinson, J.L.; Washitani, I.; Sakurai, R.; Amano, T.; Komatsu, N.; Kitamura, W.; Takagawa, S.; Koyama, K.; Ogawara, T.; et al. Citizen science: A new approach to advance ecology, education, and conservation. Ecol. Res. 2015, 31, 1–19. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Krom, M.; Thingstad, T.F.; Brenner, S.; Carbo, P.; Drakopoulos, P.; Fileman, T.; Flaten, G.; Groom, S.; Herut, B.; Kitidis, V.; et al. Summary and overview of the CYCLOPS P addition Lagrangian experiment in the Eastern Mediterranean. Deep Sea Res. Part II Top. Stud. Oceanogr. 2005, 52, 3090–3108. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Mauri, E.; Sitz, L.; Gerin, R.; Poulain, P.-M.; Hayes, D.; Gildor, H. On the Variability of the Circulation and Water Mass Properties in the Eastern Levantine Sea between September 2016–August 2017. Water 2019, 11, 1741. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Zodiatis, G.; Lardner, R.; Lascaratos, A.; Georgiou, G.; Korres, G.; Syrimis, M. High resolution nested model for the Cyprus, NE Levantine Basin, eastern Mediterranean Sea: Implementation and climatological runs. Ann. Geophys. 2003, 21, 221–236. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Savva, I.; Chartosia, N.; Antoniou, C.; Kleitou, P.; Georgiou, A.; Stern, N.; Hadjioannou, L.; Jimenez, C.; Andreou, V.; Hall-Spencer, J.M.; et al. They are here to stay: The biology and ecology of lionfish (Pterois miles) in the Mediterranean Sea. J. Fish Biol. 2020, 97, 148–162. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Kletou, D.; Hall-Spencer, J.M. Threats to ultraoligotrophic marine ecosystems. In Marine Ecosystems; IntechOpen: London, UK, 2012; pp. 1–34. [Google Scholar]
- Page, M.J.; McKenzie, J.E.; Bossuyt, P.M.; Boutron, I.; Hoffmann, T.C.; Mulrow, C.D.; Shamseer, L.; Tetzlaff, J.M.; Akl, E.A.; Brennan, S.E.; et al. The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ 2021, 372, n71. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Demetropoulos, A.; Neocleous, D. The Fishes and Crustaceans of Cyprus; Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Fisheries Department: Nicosia, Cyprus, 1969.
- Hadjichrisophorou, M. Chondrichthyes in Cyprus. In The Proceedings of the International Workshop on Mediterranean Cartilaginous Fish with Emphasis on Southern and Eastern Mediterranean; Basusta, N., Keskin, C., Serena, F., Seret, B., Eds.; Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TUDAV): Instanbul, Turkey, 2006. [Google Scholar]
- Portal, G.D. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). Available online: http://data.gbif.org/ (accessed on 1 May 2020).
- OBIS. Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. Available online: https://www.obis.org (accessed on 1 May 2020).
- Barash, A.; Salingre, S.; Grosmark, Y.; Rothman, S.; Stoilas, V.S.; Maximiadi, M.; Sezginer, T.; Lapinski, M.; Nuez, I.; Bakiu, R.; et al. The MECO project (Mediterranean Elasmobranch Citizen Observations): Creating a large-scale database of elasmobranchs observations using social media. In Proceedings of the 22nd Annual European Elasmobranch Association Meeting, Peniche, Portugal, 12–14 October 2018. [Google Scholar]
- Serena, F. Field Identification Guide to the Sharks and Rays of the Mediterranean and Black Sea; Food & Agriculture Organization: Quebec City, QB, Canada, 2005. [Google Scholar]
- Ebert, D.A.; Dando, M. Field Guide to Sharks, Rays & Chimaeras of Europe and the Mediterranean; Princeton University Press: Princeton, NJ, USA, 2020. [Google Scholar]
- Fricke, R.; Eschmeyer, W.N.; van der Laan, R. (Eds.) Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes: Genera, Species, References. 2021. Electronic version. Available online: http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp (accessed on 1 January 2021).
- Bertrand, J.A.; Gil de Sola, L.; Papaconstantinou, C.; Relini, G.; Souplet, A. The general specifications of the MEDITS surveys. Sci. Mar. 2002, 66, 9–17. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Follesa, M.C.; Marongiu, M.F.; Zupa, W.; Bellodi, A.; Cau, A.; Cannas, R.; Colloca, F.; Djurovic, M.; Isajlovic, I.; Jadaud, A.; et al. Spatial variability of Chondrichthyes in the northern Mediterranean. Sci. Mar. 2019, 83, 81–100. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Annual Reports on the Implementation of the Data Collection Framework 2004–2019. Available online: https://datacollection.jrc.ec.europa.eu/annual-report (accessed on 1 May 2020).
- Pilot Study Reporton the Evaluation of Discards of the Cyprus Fishery. November 2007. Available online: https://datacollection.jrc.ec.europa.eu/documents/10213/21456/Pilot+Study+Report+on+the+Evaluation+of+Discards+of+the+Cyprus+Fishery-1.pdf (accessed on 1 May 2020).
- Panayiotou, N.; Porsmoguer, S.B.; Moutopoulos, D.Κ.; Lloret, J. Offshore recreational fisheries of large vulnerable sharks and teleost fish in the Mediterranean Sea: First information on the species caught. Mediterr. Mar. Sci. 2020, 21, 22–27. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Bengil, E.G.; Akbora, H.D.; Hadjioannou, L.; Papageorgiou, M.; Snape, R. Retracted: A new species in town: New record of Hexanchus nakamurai Teng, 1962 from the Levantine Sea. J. Appl. Ichthyol. 2021, 37, 113–119. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Akbora, H.D.; Bayri, E.; Ayas, D.; Çiçek, B.A. Recent record of Odontaspis ferox (Risso, 1810) in Northern Cyprus (Eastern Mediterranean Sea). J. Black Sea./Medit. Environ. 2019, 25, 315–320. [Google Scholar]
- Kabasakal, H. Rare but present: Status of basking shark, Cetorhinus maximus (Gunnerus, 1765) in Eastern Mediterranean/Raro ma presente: Lo stato dello squalo elefante, Cetorhinus maximus (Gunnerus, 1765), nel Mediterraneo Orientale. Ann. Ser. Hist. Nat. 2013, 23, 127–132. [Google Scholar]
- Kleitou, P.; Antoniou, C.; Giovos, I.; Kletou, D. How accurately are we describing the longline bycatch? The case of the ‘rare’shark Alopias superciliosus in eastern Mediterranean. Int. J. Fish. Aquat. Stud. 2017, 5, 375–378. [Google Scholar]
- Ioannou, G.; Michailides, N. One Hundred Most Important Fish Species of the Seas of Cyprus; Dept. of Fisheries and Marine Research, Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, Office of the Press and Information: Nicosia, Cyprus, 2009. (In Greek)
- Petrou, A.; Zapitis, C. Agnatha, Chondrichthyes and Osteichthyes. In An Introduction to the Wildlife of Cyprus; Sparrow, D., John, E., Eds.; Terra Cypria: Limassol, Cyprus, 2016; pp. 621–631. [Google Scholar]
- Gubili, C.; Macleod, K.; Perry, W.; Hanel, P.; Batzakas, I.; Farrell, E.D.; Lynghammar, A.; Mancusi, C.; Mariani, S.; Menezes, G.M.; et al. Connectivity in the deep: Phylogeography of the velvet belly lanternshark. Deep Sea Res. Part I Oceanogr. Res. Pap. 2016, 115, 233–239. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Keramidas, I.; Azrieli, B.; Kleitou, P.; Maximiadi, M.; Stoilas, V.O.; Giovos, I. Guitarfishes in Cyprus: Shedding light on the occurrence and the distribution of two endangered species in the Eastern Mediterranean. In Proceedings of the MARFRESH, First International Marine & Freshwater Sciences Symposium, Kemer, Antalya, Turkey, 18–21 October 2018. [Google Scholar]
- Costello, M.J.; Appeltans, W.; Bailly, N.; Berendsohn, W.G.; De Jong, Y.; Edwards, M.; Froese, R.; Huettmann, F.; Los, W.; Mees, J.; et al. Strategies For The Sustainability of Online Open-Access Biodiversity Databases. Biol. Conserv. 2014, 173, 155–165. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Kyne, P.M.; Jabado, R.W. Glaucostegus cemiculus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T104050689A104057239. Available online: https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T104050689A104057239.en (accessed on 1 May 2020).
- Enajjar, S.; Saidi, B.; Bradai, M.N. The Gulf of Gabès (Central Mediterranean Sea): A nursery area for sharks and batoids (Chondrichthyes: Elasmobranchii). Cah. Biol. Mar. 2015, 56, 143–150. [Google Scholar]
- Chaikin, S.; Belmaker, J.; Barash, A. Coastal breeding aggregations of threatened stingrays and guitarfish in the Levant. Aquat. Conserv. Mar. Freshw. Ecosyst. 2020, 29, 1–12. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Başusta, A.; Başusta, N.; Sulikowski, J.A.; Driggers Iii, W.B.; Demirhan, S.A.; Cicek, E. Length–weight relationships for nine species of batoids from the Iskenderun Bay, Turkey. J. Appl. Ichthyol. 2012, 28, 850–851. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Giovos, I.; Spyridopoulou, R.A.; Doumpas, N.; Glaus, K.; Kleitou, P.; Kazlari, Z.; Katsada, D.; Loukovitis, D.; Mantzouni, I.; Papapetrou, M.; et al. Approaching the “real” state of elasmobranch fisheries and trade: A case study from the Mediterranean. Ocean Coast. Manag. 2021, 211, 105743. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Figure 1.
The Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Cyprus. In the context of this study, all available information within this range was concentrated to produce an updated checklist of chondrichthyans in the region.
Figure 1.
The Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Cyprus. In the context of this study, all available information within this range was concentrated to produce an updated checklist of chondrichthyans in the region.
Figure 2.
Percentage of observations per: (A) broader area as reported by citizen scientists to the MECO project (numbers represent the percentage of observations) and (B,C) types of observers (i.e., professional, recreational fishers, and scuba divers-snorkelers, respectively) in different conservation statuses. Critically Endangered (CR) = in a particular and extremely critical state; Endangered (EN) = very high risk of extinction in the wild; Vulnerable (VU) = meets one of the five red list criteria and thus considered to be at high risk of unnatural (human-caused) extinction without further human intervention; Near Threatened (NT) = close to being at high risk of extinction in the near future; Least Concern (LC) = unlikely to become extinct in the near future. Data Deficient (DD) = lack of sufficient data to evaluate the species status.
Figure 2.
Percentage of observations per: (A) broader area as reported by citizen scientists to the MECO project (numbers represent the percentage of observations) and (B,C) types of observers (i.e., professional, recreational fishers, and scuba divers-snorkelers, respectively) in different conservation statuses. Critically Endangered (CR) = in a particular and extremely critical state; Endangered (EN) = very high risk of extinction in the wild; Vulnerable (VU) = meets one of the five red list criteria and thus considered to be at high risk of unnatural (human-caused) extinction without further human intervention; Near Threatened (NT) = close to being at high risk of extinction in the near future; Least Concern (LC) = unlikely to become extinct in the near future. Data Deficient (DD) = lack of sufficient data to evaluate the species status.
Figure 3.
(A) Aggregation of Mobula mobular observed in 2020 in Cyprus. Photo credit: Marios Chisophorout. (B) A Carcharhinus plumbeus juvenile caught and released by a recreational fisher in 2018 in Cyprus. (C) A Squatina aculeata individual caught by a recreational fisher in 2020 in Cyprus. Photo credit: Stelios Kotzikas. (D) A female Glaucostegus cemiculus caught and released by a recreational fisher in 2010 in Cyprus. Photo Credit: Pampos Stavrou (E) A possible record of Dasyatis marmorata reported by Marine and Environmental Research Lab in 2020 from Cavo Greco, Cyprus. Photo Credit: Demetris Kleitou (F) A Taeniurops grabatus individual reported from a photo record that dates back in 1977 from Cyprus. Photo Credit: George Karamanos.
Figure 3.
(A) Aggregation of Mobula mobular observed in 2020 in Cyprus. Photo credit: Marios Chisophorout. (B) A Carcharhinus plumbeus juvenile caught and released by a recreational fisher in 2018 in Cyprus. (C) A Squatina aculeata individual caught by a recreational fisher in 2020 in Cyprus. Photo credit: Stelios Kotzikas. (D) A female Glaucostegus cemiculus caught and released by a recreational fisher in 2010 in Cyprus. Photo Credit: Pampos Stavrou (E) A possible record of Dasyatis marmorata reported by Marine and Environmental Research Lab in 2020 from Cavo Greco, Cyprus. Photo Credit: Demetris Kleitou (F) A Taeniurops grabatus individual reported from a photo record that dates back in 1977 from Cyprus. Photo Credit: George Karamanos.
Table 1.
Updated checklist of chondrichthyan species recorded from Cyprus (eastern Mediterranean Sea), with number of records obtained through the various unpublished sources (GBIF, Gb; MECO, Me; OBIS, Ob) and references. Abbreviations used: * species newly recorded here; ** species listed with caution.
Table 1.
Updated checklist of chondrichthyan species recorded from Cyprus (eastern Mediterranean Sea), with number of records obtained through the various unpublished sources (GBIF, Gb; MECO, Me; OBIS, Ob) and references. Abbreviations used: * species newly recorded here; ** species listed with caution.
| Taxon | Unpublished Data | References | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gb | Me | Ob | ||
| Order HEXANCHIFORMES F. de Buen, 1926 | ||||
| Family Hexanchidae J. E. Gray, 1851 | ||||
| Heptranchias perlo (Bonnaterre, 1788) | 6 | 1 | 5 | [29,30,38]; [39] (recorded from 2006); [40] (recorded from 2009) |
| Hexanchus griseus (Bonnaterre, 1788) | 6 | [17,29,30,38]; [40] (recorded from 2015); [41] | ||
| Hexanchus nakamurai Teng, 1962 | 1 | [42] | ||
| Order LAMNIFORMES L. S. Berg, 1958 | ||||
| Family Odontaspididae J. P. Müller & Henle, 1839 | ||||
| Carcharias taurus Rafinesque, 1810 | [29,30] | |||
| Odontaspis ferox (Risso, 1810) | 1 | [17,29,30,43] | ||
| Family Lamnidae J. P. Müller and Henle, 1838 | ||||
| Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758) | [30] | |||
| Isurus oxyrinchus Rafinesque, 1810 | 10 | [17,30]; [39] (recorded from 2006); [41] | ||
| Lamna nasus (Bonnaterre, 1788) | [30]; [39] (recorded from 2011) | |||
| Family Cetorhinidae Gill, 1861 | ||||
| Cetorhinus maximus (Gunnerus, 1765) | [17,44] | |||
| Family Alopiidae Bonaparte, 1835 | ||||
| Alopias superciliosus Lowe, 1841 | 1 | [17]; [39] (recorded from 2010); [45] | ||
| Alopias vulpinus (Bonnaterre, 1788) | [29,30] | |||
| Order CARCHARHINIFORMES Compagno, 1977 | ||||
| Family Pentanchidae Smith, 1912 | ||||
| Galeus melastomus Rafinesque, 1810 | 10 | 1 | 5 | [29,30,38,40] |
| Family Scyliorhinidae T. N. Gill, 1862 | ||||
| Scyliorhinus canicula (Linnaeus, 1758) | 8 | 5 | [29,30,38]; [39] (recorded from 2006); [40] (recorded from 2005); [46,47] | |
| Scyliorhinus stellaris (Linnaeus, 1758) | [30]; [40] (recorded from 2005) | |||
| Family Triakidae J. E. Gray, 1851 | ||||
| Mustelus asterias Cloquet, 1819 | 1 | [29,30] | ||
| Mustelus mustelus (Linnaeus, 1758) | 1 | 1 | [29,30]; [39] (recorded from 2006); [40] (recorded from 2006) | |
| Mustelus punctulatus Risso, 1827 | 1 | [30] | ||
| Family Carcharhinidae D. S. Jordan & Evermann, 1896 | 1 | 2 | ||
| ** Carcharhinus brevipinna (Valenciennes, 1839) | [30] | |||
| ** Carcharhinus melanopterus (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824) | [30] | |||
| Carcharhinus plumbeus (Nardo, 1827) | 4 | [30] | ||
| Prionace glauca (Linnaeus, 1758) | [29,30]; [39] (recorded from 2010) | |||
| Family Sphyrnidae T. N. Gill, 1872 | ||||
| ** Sphyrna mokarran (Rüppell, 1837) | [30] | |||
| Sphyrna zygaena (Linnaeus, 1758) | [29,30] | |||
| Order SQUALIFORMES Goodrich, 1909 | ||||
| Family Dalatiidae J. E. Gray, 1851 | ||||
| * Dalatias licha (Bonnaterre, 1788) | 1 | |||
| Family Etmopteridae Fowler, 1934 | ||||
| Etmopterus spinax (Linnaeus, 1758) | 6 | 4 | [30,38]; [40] (recorded from 2005); [43,48] | |
| Family Oxynotidae Rafinesque, 1810 | ||||
| Oxynotus centrina (Linnaeus, 1758) | 2 | 1 | [30,38]; [40] (recorded from 2006) | |
| Family Centrophoridae Bleeker, 1859 | ||||
| Centrophorus cf. uyato (Rafinesque, 1810) | 5 | 2 | 5 | [30]; [40] (recorded from 2009 as Centrophorus granulosus) |
| Family Squalidae Bonaparte, 1834 | 37 | |||
| Squalus acanthias Linnaeus, 1758 | [29,30,38]; [40] (recorded from 2006); [46,47] | |||
| Squalus blainville (Risso, 1827) | 1 | 5 | 5 | [30,38]; [39] (recorded from 2006); [40] (recorded from 2011) |
| Order SQUATINIFORMES F. de Buen, 1926 | ||||
| Family Squatinidae Bonaparte, 1838 | ||||
| * Squatina aculeata Cuvier, 1829 | 1 | |||
| Squatina oculata Bonaparte, 1840 | [15,30] | |||
| Squatina squatina (Linnaeus, 1758) | 2 | [29,30] | ||
| Order TORPEDINIFORMES F. de Buen, 1926 | ||||
| Family Torpedinidae Bonaparte, 1838 | ||||
| Tetronarce nobiliana (Bonaparte, 1835) | [29,30,38]; [39] (recorded from 2006); [40] (recorded from 2005); | |||
| Torpedo marmorata Risso, 1810 | 21 | 2 | 6 | [29,30,38,46]; [40] (recorded from 2010); [47] |
| Torpedo torpedo (Linnaeus, 1758) | [29,30,38]; [40] (recorded from 2013) | |||
| Order RHINOPRISTIFORMES Naylor, et al., 2012 | ||||
| Family Rhinobatidae J. P. Müller & Henle, 1837 | ||||
| Rhinobatos rhinobatos (Linnaeus, 1758) | [29,30] | |||
| Family Glaucostegidae Bonaparte, 1846 | ||||
| Glaucostegus cemiculus (Geoffroy St. Hilaire, 1817) | 3 | 15 | [30,46,47,49] | |
| Order RAJIFORMES L. S. Berg, 1940 | ||||
| Family Rajidae Bonaparte, 1831 | ||||
| Dipturus oxyrinchus (Linnaeus, 1758) | [29,30,38]; [40] (recorded from 2005) | |||
| Leucoraja circularis (Couch, 1838) | 5 | 4 | [40] (recorded from 2009) | |
| Leucoraja fullonica (Linnaeus, 1758) | [38]; [40] (recorded from 2012) | |||
| Leucoraja naevus (Müller & Henle, 1841) | [38]; [40] (recorded from 2015) | |||
| Raja asterias Delaroche, 1809 | [29,30]; [40] (recorded from 2005) | |||
| Raja brachyura Lafont 1873 | [40] (recorded from 2006) | |||
| Raja clavata Linnaeus, 1758 | 10 | 10 | [29,38]; [39] (recorded from 2006); [40] (recorded from 2005); [46,47] | |
| Raja miraletus Linnaeus, 1758 | 6 | 6 | [29,30,38]; [40] (recorded from 2005); [46] | |
| Raja montagui Fowler, 1910 | [38]; [40] (recorded from 2005) | |||
| Raja polystigma Regan, 1923 | [38]; [40] (recorded from 2006) | |||
| Raja radula Delaroche, 1809 | 5 | 1 | 2 | [30,38]; [40] (recorded from 2006) |
| Raja undulata Lacepède, 1802 | [40] (recorded from 2017) | |||
| Rostroraja alba (Lacepède, 1803) | [38]; [40] (recorded from 2015) | |||
| Order MYLIOBATIFORMES Compagno, 1973 | 6 | |||
| Family Dasyatidae D. S. Jordan, 1888 | 1 | |||
| Bathytoshia lata (Garman, 1880) | 9 | [30]; [40] (recorded from 2009, as Dasyatis centroura); [46] | ||
| ** Dasyatis marmorata (Steindachner, 1892) | 1 | |||
| Dasyatis pastinaca (Linnaeus, 1758) | 3 | 11 | 2 | [29,30,38]; [39] (recorded from 2006); [40] (recorded from 2005); [47] |
| Pteroplatytrygon violacea (Bonaparte, 1832) | [29,30]; [39] (recorded from 2006); [40] (recorded from 2018) | |||
| * Taeniurops grabatus (Geoffroy St. Hilaire, 1817) | 2 | |||
| Family Gymnuridae Fowler, 1934 | ||||
| Gymnura altavela (Linnaeus, 1758) | 4 | [29,30] | ||
| Family Aetobatidae White & Naylor, 2016 | ||||
| Aetomylaeus bovinus (Geoffroy St. Hilaire, 1817) | 10 | [29,30,46] | ||
| Family Myliobatidae Bonaparte, 1835 | ||||
| Myliobatis aquila (Linnaeus, 1758) | [46,47] | |||
| Family Rhinopteridae Jordan & Evermann, 1896 | ||||
| Rhinoptera marginata (Geoffroy St. Hilaire, 1817) | [30] | |||
| Family Mobulidae Gill, 1893 | ||||
| Mobula mobular (Bonnaterre, 1788) | 2 | [29,30] | ||
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. |
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Share and Cite
MDPI and ACS Style
Giovos, I.; Serena, F.; Katsada, D.; Anastasiadis, A.; Barash, A.; Charilaou, C.; Hall-Spencer, J.M.; Crocetta, F.; Kaminas, A.; Kletou, D.; et al. Integrating Literature, Biodiversity Databases, and Citizen-Science to Reconstruct the Checklist of Chondrichthyans in Cyprus (Eastern Mediterranean Sea). Fishes 2021, 6, 24. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/fishes6030024
AMA Style
Giovos I, Serena F, Katsada D, Anastasiadis A, Barash A, Charilaou C, Hall-Spencer JM, Crocetta F, Kaminas A, Kletou D, et al. Integrating Literature, Biodiversity Databases, and Citizen-Science to Reconstruct the Checklist of Chondrichthyans in Cyprus (Eastern Mediterranean Sea). Fishes. 2021; 6(3):24. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/fishes6030024
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiovos, Ioannis, Fabrizio Serena, Dimitra Katsada, Athanasios Anastasiadis, Adi Barash, Charis Charilaou, Jason M. Hall-Spencer, Fabio Crocetta, Alexander Kaminas, Demetris Kletou, and et al. 2021. "Integrating Literature, Biodiversity Databases, and Citizen-Science to Reconstruct the Checklist of Chondrichthyans in Cyprus (Eastern Mediterranean Sea)" Fishes 6, no. 3: 24. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/fishes6030024
