New Additions to the Jellyfish Fauna of the Sea of Marmara

Abstract

This manuscript reports on four new jellyfish species in the Sea of Marmara (Turkey) (the scyphozoans Mawia benovici and Drymonema dalmatinum, hydrozoan Aequorea forskalea, and thaliacean Salpa maxima) based on plankton collections made in the years 2019-2021. This is the first record of Mawia benovici in both Turkish coastal areas and the Sea of Marmara. The jellyfish that was previously recorded as Drymonema sp. in the repetition Sea of Marmara was identified at the species level as D. dalmatinum. Furthermore, their possible introduction pathways are briefly discussed here.