New Records for Microalgae Species of the Turkish Seas Under the Effect of Intense Mucilage in the Sea of Marmara

Objective: New records of microalgae species for Turkish seas taking into account the species lists published to date have been reported in this study conducted in the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean Sea. Furthermore, new records of microalgae species for the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean Sea were listed. Materials and Methods: New record species for Turkish seas were described by their morphological and ecological features and also their images were taken under a light microscope with epifluorescence attachment, and also some of them were photographed on a scanning electron microscope. Results: A total of 66 new record species were identified in this study. A total of 25 microalgae taxa belonging to 11 taxonomic classes were recorded for the first time for Turkish seas. Two taxa were freshwater or brackish water form, which is known from the lakes. The class Prymnesiophyceae had seven taxa that were recorded for the first time, followed by Bacillariophyceae and Dinophyceae with four taxa and the other classes. Furthermore, a total of 65 taxa belonging to 16 taxonomic classes were recorded for the first time for the Sea of Marmara. Twelve taxa were freshwater or brackish water form, which is known from the lakes. Among these, Dinophyceae had 24 taxa, followed by Prymnesiophyceae with 11 taxa, and Bacillariophyceae with 9 taxa and the other classes. In addition, one new record taxon was detected for the Aegean Sea. Conclusion: New records of microalgae detected in the Sea of Marmara during this study period will provide an important contribution to both the microalgae checklist of Turkish seas, the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean Sea. Keywords: Mucilage, new records, phytoplankton, biodiversity, Turkish coastal waters