DISC DEFORMITY IN A JUVENILE FEMALE BROWN RAY, RAJA MIRALETUS (FAMILY: RAJIDAE), FROM NORTHEASTERN MEDITERRANEAN (TÜRKİYE)
Vol. 35 No. 1 (2025), Articles
Vol. 35 No. 1 (2025)

DISC DEFORMITY IN A JUVENILE FEMALE BROWN RAY, RAJA MIRALETUS (FAMILY: RAJIDAE), FROM NORTHEASTERN MEDITERRANEAN (TÜRKİYE)

Articles
https://doi.org/10.19233/ASHN.2025.10
Published 2025-06-27
Deniz ERGÜDEN
Marine Science Department, Faculty of Marine Science and Technology, Iskenderun Technical University, 31200 Iskenderun, Hatay, Türkiye
Cemal TURAN
Marine Science Department, Faculty of Marine Science and Technology, Iskenderun Technical University, 31200 Iskenderun, Hatay, Türkiye
Servet Ahmet DOĞDU
Iskenderun Technical University, Maritime Vocational School of Higher Education, Underwater Technologies, 31220, Iskenderun, Hatay, Türkiye
Deniz AYAS
Faculty of Fisheries, University of Mersin Yenişehir Campus, 33160, Mersin, Türkiye
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Keywords

Rajiformes
abnormality
pectoral disc deformity
Mersin Bay
Eastern Mediterranean

How to Cite

ERGÜDEN, D. ., TURAN, C., DOĞDU, S. A. ., & AYAS, D. . (2025). DISC DEFORMITY IN A JUVENILE FEMALE BROWN RAY, RAJA MIRALETUS (FAMILY: RAJIDAE), FROM NORTHEASTERN MEDITERRANEAN (TÜRKİYE). ANNALES, SERIES HISTORIA NATURALIS, 35(1), 73–82. https://doi.org/10.19233/ASHN.2025.10
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Abstract

This study describes a female specimen of the brown ray Raja miraletus Linnaeus, 1758, found along the coast of the city of Aydıncık (Mersin Bay, Turkey) in the northeastern Mediterranean Sea, exhibiting disk deformities. The deformation is located on the right disk portion of the specimen, with no other deformities observed on the rest of the body. The juvenile female specimen measures 22 centimeters in disk diameter, 31.7 centimeters in total length, and weighs 186 grams. This specimen represents the first recorded abnormality of the species R. miraletus in Turkish Mediterranean waters, and this report provides the first information on the presence of abnormalities in female specimens of the species R. miraletus.

https://doi.org/10.19233/ASHN.2025.10
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