Boundaries

The ecoregion includes the southern area of Anatolian Turkey and the islands of Cyprus and Crete, including the drainages of the Aksu, Göksu, Seyhan, and Ceyhan rivers. Most of the rivers originate in the Taurus Mountains to the north, and empty into the Mediterranean Sea in the south. It is bounded by the Western Anatolia [429], Central Anatolia [431], and Northern Anatolia [430] ecoregions to the north and west, by the Upper Tigris-Euphrates [442] and Orontes [437] ecoregions to the east, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south (and around the islands).

Topography

The Taurus Mountains are pierced by river valleys with narrow coastal plains except at Antalaya and Adana. The mountains are less dissected by river systems than the Pontus Mountains in the Northern Anatolia ecoregion [430]. Elevations in the ecoregion range from sea level to over 3500 m.

Freshwater habitats

The Ceyhan and Seyhan rivers follow a steep gradient onto the Adana plain.

Terrestrial habitats

The southern slopes of the Taurus Mountain Range are forested with Mediterranean maquis, but the northern slopes facing the plateau have meager vegetation. There are some tree crops in the east at lower elevations as well as irrigation farming. The island of Cyprus is characterized by Mediterranean forests, and includes endemic plants like the endangered Cyprus cedar (Cedrus brevifolia) and Cyprus oak (Quercus alnifolia) (WWF 2001).

Description of endemic fishes

The ecoregion contains no endemic genera but roughly 20% of the species are endemic. Endemic species include Alburnus baliki, Capoeta angorae, C. antalyensis, Isparta minnow (Crossocheilus klatti), Gobio hettitorum, Pseudophoxinus antalyae, P. egridiri, P. fahirae, P. handlirsch (Cyprinidae); Aphanius burdurensis (Cyprinodontidae); Barbatula seyhanensis, Orthrias tschaiyssuensis, Schistura samantica (Balitoridae); and flathead trout (Salmo platycephalus) (Salmonidae).

Other noteworthy fishes

The diversity of tooth-carps or cyprinodontids is unusual and, within the cyprinids, the number of described and undescribed species in the genus Pseudophoxinus is remarkable (five described and three undescribed).

Ecological phenomena

Lake Egridir supports a fishery that is important to the diet of local people. Exotic species of fish have seriously affected native species, such as pike-perch (Sander lucioperca).

Justification for delineation

The ecoregion was distinguished based on high levels of endemism in certain genera, a relatively diverse fauna, and the endemic trout. The Göksu (or Gök) delta, Lake Burdur, and Akytan lagoon near Adana are Ramsar Sites. The clupeid Alosa fallax; the cyprinodontids Aphanius anatoliae, A. fasciatus, and A. sureyanus; the cyprinids Capoeta antalyensis, C. pestai, Pseudophoxinus handlirschi, Gobio hettitorum, and Crossocheilus klatti; the balitorid Orthrias tschaiyssuensis; and the salmonid Salmo platycephalus are all in the Red Data Book.

Level of taxonomic exploration

Good