Fish Assemblage Structure of the Köprüçay River Estuary (Antalya-Turkey)

Abstract

The spatial and temporal fish species assemblages were analyzed in the Köprüçay River Estuary. Fish were sampled monthly by different nets from October 2006 and March 2008. A total of 2419 individuals distributed in 12 families and 23 species were collected. The most numerically abundant species were Mugil cephalus (32,9%) and Liza aurata (17,4%). The fish comprised 11 freshwater, 9 marine, 1 estuarine and 2 migrant. Evenness and diversity index showed a consistent seasonal pattern. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that salinity correlated with the seasonal pattern in the fish assemblage.

Key words: Community composition, Salinity, Estuary, Köprüçay River, Mediterranean