On the presence of Heterocapsa pygmaea A.R.Loebl. (Peridiniales, Dinophyceae) in the northern Levantine basin (eastern Mediterranean) [Kuzey Levantin Baseninde (Dogu Akdeniz) Heterocapsa pygmaea A.R.Loebl nin (Peridiniales, Dinophyceae) Varligi Üzerine]

The presence of the dinoflagellate Heterocapsa pygmaea A.R.Loebl. in bloom quantity is reported for the first time from Mersin Bay (northern Levantine basin, eastern Mediterranean). Further, it is the only species of the family Heterocapsaceae reported from Turkish seas (southern Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara, Aegean Sea, and north-eastern Mediterranean). Our observations on the fine structure of the body scale of the specimen suggested that the scale morphology is identical to that of H. pygmaea.