MARINE FAUNA

The sea

A sea is a large body of salt water that is surrounded in whole or in part by land.

More broadly, the sea  is the interconnected system of Earth's salty , oceanic waters—considered as one global ocean or as several principal oceanic divisions.

Marine habitats Marine habitats can be divided vertically into pelagic (open water), 

demersal (just above the seabed),

and benthic(sea bottom) habitats.

The word "pelagic" is derived the from Greek πέλαγος (pélagos), meaning "open sea".

Pelagic life decreases with increasing depth. It is affected by light intensity, pressure, temperature, salinity, the supply of dissolved oxygen and nutrients.

Fish that live in the pelagic zone are called pelagic fish.

Pelagic fish range in size from small coastal forage fish, such as herrings and sardines, to large apex predator oceanic fishes, such as the Southern bluefin tuna and oceanic sharks.

The demersal zone is the part of the sea or ocean  comprising the water column that is near to (and is significantly affected

by) the seabed and the benthos. The demersal zone is just above the benthic zone and forms a

layer of the larger profundal zone.

Demersal fish live and feed on or near the bottom of seas  (the demersal zone). 

They occupy the sea floors , which usually consist of mud, sand, gravel or rocks. In coastal waters they are found on or near the continental shelf, and in deep waters they are found on or near the continental slope or along the continental rise. 

The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean or a lake, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers.

Organisms living in this zone are called benthos, e.g. the benthic invertebrate community, including crustaceans and polychaetes.The organisms generally live in close relationship with the substrate bottom and many are permanently attached to the bottom. The superficial layer of the soil lining the given body of water, the benthic boundary layer, is an integral part of the benthic zone, as it greatly influences the biological activity which takes place there. Examples of contact soil layers include sand bottoms, rocky outcrops, coral, and bay mud.

(The term benthos comes from the Greek noun βένθος "depth of the sea")

Sea zonati0n

SEA FAUNA

FISHES MOLLUSCS

ARTHROPODSMAMMALSSPONGES

CNINDARIAREPTILES

ΙΧΘΥΕΣ –FISHES-PESCI-PECES-KALATOsteichthyes , also called bony fish, are a taxonomic group of fish that have bone, as opposed to cartilaginous, skeletons. The vast majority of fish are osteichthyes, which is an extremely diverse and abundant group consisting of 45 orders, and over 435 families and 28,000 species.It is the largest class of vertebrates in existence today. Osteichthyes are divided into the ray-finned fish (Actinopterygii) and lobe-finned fish (Sarcopterygii).

Chondrichthyes  from Greek χονδρ - chondr - 'cartilage', ἰχθύς  ichthys 'fish') is a class that contains the cartilaginous fishes: they are jawed vertebrates with paired fins, paired nares, scales, a heart with its chambers in series, and skeletons made of cartilage rather than bone. The class is divided into two subclasses: Elasmobranchii (sharks, rays, skates, and sawfish) and Holocephali (chimaeras, sometimes called ghost sharks, which are sometimes separated into their own class).

Fish anatomy includes a two-chambered heart, operculum, swim,bladder, scales, fins, lips, eyes and secretory cells that produce mucous.

Fish breathe by extracting oxygen from water through their gills. Fins propel and stabilize the fish in the water.

The anatomy of Lampanyctodes hectoris(1) – operculum (gill cover), (2) – lateral line, (3) – dorsal fin, (4) – fat fin, (5) – caudal peduncle, (6) – caudal fin, (7) – anal fin, (8) – photophores, (9) – pelvic fins (paired), (10) – pectoral fins (paired)

MOLLUSCSA cephalopod  is any member of

the molluscan class Cephalopoda (Greek plural κεφαλόποδα, kephalópoda; "head-feet"). These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilatera body symmetry, a prominent head, and a set of arms or tentacles  modified from the primitive molluscan foot.

The Gastropoda or gastropods, more commonly known as snails and slugs.

Oysters - Mussels

ARTHROPODS Malacostraca is the largest of the

six classes of crustaceans, containing about 40,000 living species, divided among 16 orders.

Its members, the malacostracans, display a great diversity of body forms and include crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill, woodlice, scuds (Amphipoda), mantis shrimp and many other less familiar animals. They are abundant in all marine environments and have colonised freshwater and terrestrial habitats.

MAMMALSMarine mammals, which

include seals, whales, dolphins, porpoises, manatees, dugongs, marine otters, walruses, and polar bears form a diverse group of 129 species that rely on the ocean for their existence. They do not represent a distinct biological grouping, but rather are unified by their reliance on the aquatic environment for feeding.The level of dependence on the aquatic environment for existence varies considerably with species. For example, dolphins and whales are completely dependent on the marine environment for all stages of their life, whereas seals feed in the ocean, but breed on land.

SPONGESSponges are animals of the phylum Porifera (/pɒˈrɪfərə/; meaning "pore bearer"). They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through them, consisting of jelly-like mesohyl sandwiched between two thin layers of cells. Sponges have unspecialized cells that can transform into other types and that often migrate between the main cell layers and the mesohyl in the process. Sponges do not have nervous, digestive or circulatory systems. Instead, most rely on maintaining a constant water flow through their bodies to obtain food and oxygen and to remove wastes.

CNIDARIACnidaria  is a phylum containing over 10,000 species of animals

found exclusively in aquatic (freshwater and marine) environments: they are predominantlymarine species. Their distinguishing feature is cnidocytes, specialized cells that they use mainly for capturing prey. Their bodies consist of mesoglea, a non-living jelly-like substance, sandwiched between two layers of epithelium that are mostly one cell thick. They have two basic body forms: swimming medusae and sessile polyps.

REPTILES sea turtlesLike other amniotes, turtles breathe air and

do not lay eggs underwater, although many species live in or around water. Turtles are ectotherms—their internal temperature varies according to the ambient environment, commonly called cold-blooded.

CRETE’S FLORA AND FAUNA

Cretan Pelagos

Libyan Pelagos

CRETE

Carpathian Pelagos

MirtooPelagos

FISHES ΨΑΡΙΑ

ATHERINA BOYERI - ΑΘΕΡΙΝΑ

BOOPS BOOPS - ΓΟΠΑ

DIPLODUS SARGUS SARSUS - ΣΑΡΓΟΣ

PAGELUS ERYTHRINUS - ΛΥΘΡΙΝΙ

SARDA SARDA – ΠΑΛΑΜΙΔΑ Ή ΛΑΚΕΡΔΑ

DISENTRARCHUS LABRAX- ΛΑΒΡΑΚΙ

BELONE BELONE - ΖΑΡΓΑΝΑ

SPARUS AURATA - ΤΣΙΠΟΥΡΑ

PARGUS BULGARIS - ΦΑΓΚΡΙ

PΟLYPRION AMERICANUM - ΒΛΑΧΟΣ

SERRANUS SCRIBA - ΠΕΡΚΑ

ARNOGLOSSUS IMPERIALIS - ΓΛΩΣΣΑ

SERIOLA DUMERILI - ΜΑΓΙΑΤΙΚΟ

GYMNOTHORAX UNICOLOR- ΣΜΕΡΝΑ

EPINEPHELUS MARGINATUS - ΡΟΦΟΣ

Stingray

Raja clavata - ΚΑΛΚΑΝΟΒΑΤΟΣ

BATOIDEA - ΒΑΤΟΣ

RAJA MIRALETUS - ΜΑΤΟΒΑΤΟΣ

GALEORHINUS GALEUS - ΓΑΛΕΟΣ

SCORPAENA MADEREUSIS - ΣΚΟΡΠΙΝΑ

Lutjanus campechanus - ΚΟΚΚΙΝΟΨΑΡΟ

LIZA SALIENS ΓΑΣΤΡΟΣ

MUSTELUS ASTERIAS ΑΣΤΡΟΓΑΛΕΟΣ

ENGRAULIS ENGRASICOLUSΓΑΥΡΟΣ

THUNNUS THYNNUS ΤΟΝΟΣ

UPENEUS ASYMMETRICUSΞΥΦΙΑΣ

ΓΥΛΟΣ CORIS JULIS

TRACHINUS DRACO ΔΡΑΚΑΙΝΑ

HIPPOCAMPUS HIPPOCAMPUSΙΠΠΟΚΑΜΠΟΣ

CARHARHINUS BREVIPINNAΣΚΥΛΟΨΑΡΟ

ΚΕΦΑΛΟΣ MUGIL CAPHALUS

POMATOSCHISTUS CANESTRINIIΚΟΚΩΒΙΟΣ

ΚΟΛΙΟΣ SCOMBER JAPONICUS

ASPIUS ASPIUS ΚΥΝΗΓΟΣ

ΛΑΓΟΚΕΦΑΛΟΣ LAGOCEPHALUS LAGOCEPHALUS

OBLADA MELANURA ΜΕΛΑΝΟΥΡΙ

ΜΟΥΡΜΟΥΡΑ LITHOGNATHUS MORMYRUS

GADICULUS ARGENTEUS ΜΠΑΚΑΛΙΑΡΟΣ

ΜΠΑΡΜΠΟΥΝΙ MULLUS SURMULETUS

SALARIA PAVO ΠΑΠΑΓΑΛΟΣ

ΣΠΑΘΑ LEPIDOPUS CAUDATUS

DIPLODUS ANNULARIS

DENTEX DENTEX ΣΥΝΑΓΡΙΔΑ

ΣΦΥΡΙΔΑ EPINEPHELUS AENAUS

SERRANUS CABRILLA ΧΑΝΟΣ

ΧΕΙΛΟΥ CICHLASOMA BIMACULATUM

ANQUILLA ANQUILLA EEL

MOLLUSCS

ΣΟΥΠΙΑ - SEPIA

ΧΤΑΠΟΔΙ-OCTOPUS BULGARIS

ELEDONE MOSHATA - ΜΙΣΧΙΟΣ

Squid Loligo vulgaris

Ommastrephes sagittatus - θράψαλο

ΑΡΘΡΟΠΟΔΑARTHROPODS

 Akera bullata 

Charonia tritonisAplysia punctata

Φούσκα - Microcosmus sabatieri CLAM

Sea Slug Moonshell – Neverita JosephinaΦεγγαροσαλιγκάρι

PALINURUS BULGARIS  - ΑΣΤΑΚΟΣ Homarus gammarus – Αστακοκαραβίδα

(Parapenaeus longirostris –γαρίδα γάμπαρη .

Aristeus antennatus – γαλαζοκόκκινη γαρίδα

SCYLLARIDAE - Λασποκαβούρια ή Κωλοχτύπες

Liocarcinus depurator – Μεσογειακό καβούρι

Sea Urchin

Starfish

Brown, orange and grey Sponges

SPONGΕSΣΠΟΓΓΟΙ

CNINDARIA ΚΝΙΔΟΖΩΑ

Jellyfish Aurelia aurita (moon jellyfish

Pelagia noctiluca

Sea Anemone Coral Μyriapora truncata - Gobius buchichii

ΘΗΛΑΣΤΙΚΑMAMMALS

ΦΩΚΙΑ MOΝΑΧΟΥΣ ΜΟΝΑΧΟΥΣMONACHUS MONACHUS

ΣΤΑΧΤΟΔΕΛΦΙΝΟRISSOS DOLPHIN

GRAMPUS GRISEUS

ΡΙΝΟΔΕΛΦΙΝΟBOTTLENOSE DOLPHINTURSIOPS TRUNCATUS

ΖΩΝΟΔΕΛΦΙΝΟSTRIPED DOLPHINSTENELLA COERULEOALBA

ΖΙΦΙΟΣCUVIERS BEAKED WHALEZIPHIUS CAVIROSTIS

ΦΑΛΑΙΝΑ ΦΥΣΗΤΗΡΑΣPHYSETER MACROCEPHALUS

CARETTA CARETTA

REPTILES

Nest and eggs from a Caretta Caretta Sea Turtle

in Sitia.

MARINE FLORA

Brown and Pink Seaweed

Anthozoans

Posidonia Sea Grass collected

by a fisherman in Sitia.

POSIDONIA