Turkey – Asian Side, April 2009

Mustafa Kahraman of Neptun-Fora, the TROPICAL’s representative for the last 18 years, was so kind to give to Heiko Bleher a new Scoda to do his field trip in search for still not described loaches in Turkey…

The long drive from Istanbul to Izmit passed the beautiful Seka Park with millions of tulips – the state flower of Turkey (the Dutch have theirs from Turkey…). From here the exploration went across the mountains to lake Iznik, to Bursa, along Manyas to Balikesir, Bergama and Izmir and then back. Below photos of the 7 researched creeks and lakes and the pictures of some of the Phoxinus, Pseudophoxinus, Cobitis and Barbatula species collected, as well as two colour morphs of Sticklebacks (green and reddish males), Gasterosteus aculeatus forma semiarmatus – a landlocked species, found in the Kanal of  the Iznik Lake spawning

_{Location 1 – Valide River, Valideköprü}

_{Location 2 – Yavaş,30 km north of Iznik}

_{Location 3 – Chanel, Iznik}

_{Location 4 – Kazigli River, north of Balikesir}

_{Location 5 – Manisa Creek, north of Bergama}

_{Location 6 – Kozak, Bergama}

_{Location 7 – Madra Creek, Bergama}

_{A German speaking Turk in Bergana had helped me to find the Madra-Creek (mother-river) and also}

_{In Bergana, maybe one of the oldest cities in Turkey (older than Troy) I stayed at an old Ottoman house and eat Turkish pizza!}

_{After almost 200km drive across the Western Mediterranean Part of Turkish Asia, I took to ferry from Yalova to Kartal (Istanbul) across the Marmara Deniz into the luxury marina with fantastic yachts}

Thank You Mustafa Kahraman, thank You Neptun-Fora