Macrozoobenthic community structure of İğneada region in Turkey (the southwestern Black Sea)

The present study deals with macrozoobenthic species on soft substrates in İğneada (Turkish coast of the Black Sea). Benthic samples were collected seasonally at three stations between 2012 and 2013. A total of 155 species belonging to seven taxa (Turbellaria, Nemertea, Nematoda, Oligochaeta, Polychaeta, Crustacea, Phoronida, Mollusca, Hemichordata) were identified. Of these, four species are new records for the Black Sea fauna, 15 species are new to the Turkish coast of the Black Sea; and two species are new to the Turkish Seas. Polychaeta was the most representative taxon in the study area – it was represented by 58 species (39% of the total number of species). In terms of the number of individuals, Mollusca were the dominant taxon in all seasons (82% of the total number of individuals). The most dominant species were Bittium reticulatum and Caecum trachea and the most frequent species were Micronephtys stammeri, B. reticulatum and Chamelea gallina.