Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
2010, Vol 10, Num, 1 (Pages: 111-122)
Distribution of Fish Fauna on the Upper and Middle Basin of Ceyhan River, Turkey
2 Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Fisheries, 46100 K.maraş, Turkey DOI : 10.4194/trjfas.2010.0116 Viewed : 4567 - Downloaded : 4434 Fish fauna in the upper and middle Ceyhan River basin were investigated with the distribution and systematical determination from May 2001 to April 2004. The fish specimens were obtained by electro fishing and gill nets from two lakes, two reservoirs and 18 streams. A total of 2,414 specimens were collected and 1,156 of these were investigated diagnostic characteristics. Twenty species belong to 10 families were determined. The fish species determined in the study are: Anguilla anguilla, Salmo trutta macrostigma, Cyprinus carpio, Acanthobrama sp., Alburnus orontis, Pseudophoxinus zekayi, Squalius kottelati, Garra rufa, Chondrostoma regium, Luciobarbus pectoralis, Capoeta angorae, Capoeta erhani, Cobitis evreni, Schistura ceyhanensis, Oxynemacheilus sp., Silurus glanis, Clarias gariepinus, Aphanius mento, Gambusia affinis and Salaria fluviatilis. Endemic species Pseudophoxinus zekayi, Capoeta erhani, Schistura ceyhanensis and Cobitis evreni reported in recent years were described.
Salaria fluviatilis present stations which under 750 m altitudes while Anguilla anguilla was not present in the upper Ceyhan River basin. S. t. macrostigma was also determined in the streams and river located between 720-1,474 m altitudes. Capoeta angorae, Garra rufa and Alburnus orontis were showed a large distribution in the Ceyhan River system. Gambusia affinis and Clarias gariepinus were determined only in Gavur Lake canals and Kumaşır Lake. Acanthobrama sp. only presented in Sır Reservoir, Silurus glanis and Squalius kottelati presented in Sır lake canals and Menzelet lake reservoir, Cobitis evreni and Aphanius mento were determined in the vegetative areas.
Keywords : Ceyhan River basin, fish fauna, distribution