Manikiatis River, Euboea Island

The Manikiatis System
Late December 2019

We explored the Manikiatis River in winter...just before the strong winter snows, heavy rains and freshet floods. Rivers in the Med change usually just after Christmas - when an erratic turmoil takes place from flood flows. Here we are just before a major snow storm...and we collected some nice fish data to think over. 

The Manikiatis basin is very interesting - it has a lot of perennial water and is a famous endemic hot spot in the Western Aegean Ecoregion - with two range-restricted fishes and certainly many unknowns. It is a precious landscape and riverscape - beautiful centuries old oriental plane riparian forests, amazing karst cliff-scapes - the most impressive inland limestone cliffs on Euboea and some of the most spectacular in southern mainland Greece (i.e. the resemble southern Crete's spectacular cliff-scapes). Also, huge cave systems and amazing sink-holes, big karstic springs. Cultural landscapes with varied vegetation, oak-woodlands, arbutus, heaths and forests of endemic Greek fir. All this in need of protection. Poorly studied, poorly appreciated. 

In winter we do not know where the fish are, how they behave, how they survive, what their habitats look like. Do they use intermittent tributaries or intermittent uplands? Where to do their populations stop in the longitudinal gradient? How do fish assemblages change? What natural forces (natural barriers to dispersal etc) affect them? We know very little. Very little is enough to do conservation - some steps needed are obvious, but its complicated. We need to engage with these places and their biodiversity. We need to connect society, heritage and biodiversity. Conservation science is the solution: learn, monitor, promote, start acting with specific conservation actions in defence of biodiversity.

Some thoughts here..

Sampling with electricity in cold conditions, 1 degree Celsius, light snow at 600 m. elevation.

In winter all fish are concentrated in these pools, next to no fish in the riffles-rapids part of the stream.

Xerovouni plateau and a the small perennial stream - an off-catchment of the Manikiatis with underground connection to the main stem.  Note the Greek Firs (Abies cephallonica), Tree Heather heaths and Oriental plane - even at 700 m + elevation.

Squalius catch at the Manikiatis stream, new location in the mountains above Manikia and Seta. But still an undescribed species!!! Called "Squalius sp. Evia" for now.

The enigmatic Evia Chub, Squalius sp. Evia: this is from the newly discovered population on Xerovouni mountain.

The Evia Chub, Squalius sp. Evia: this is from the newly discovered population on Xerovouni mountain.

The Evia Chub, Squalius sp. Evia: these fish from the main stem of the Manikiatis river at the outlet of Manikiatis Gorge. They probably move throughout the system - but natural and human-made barriers stop them. In contrast to the endemic Evia Barbel (Barbus euboicus) they are not restricted to certain perennial reaches of the river. 

The biogeographical enigma of this distinct population of Squalius is distinct and unique in the western Aegean coast (Read: Geiger et al. 2014- snippet of the cluster from their publication above). The Evia Chub, Squalius sp. Evia is not related to the other Squalius of Western Aegean mainland (i.e. Sperchios river near Lamia). The fish at Manikiatis are closely related to fishes from Thrace, Anatolia and Lesbos. Last time the Aegean was "connected" (i.e. river connections) was about 5 million years ago (during the drying out of the Med - in the Messinian Salinity Crisis). Could this population be a relict from that time? It may well be as has been indicated by other fishes of the Western Aegean Ecoregion (e.g. a recent paper on the Alburnoides Sprilins of Anatolia shows that there is a 4,09 mill years distance between A. economoui and A. smyrnae (Read: Bektas, Y., Aksu, I., Kaya, C., Baycelebi, E., Atasaral, S., Ekmekci, F. G., & Turan, D. (2019). Phylogeny and phylogeography of the genus Alburnoides (Teleostei, Cyprinidae) in Turkey based on mitochondrial DNA sequences. Mitochondrial DNA Part A, 30(7), 794-805.)

Manikia Village - has given the name "Manikiatis" to the river. Manikiatis river is sometimes mentioned as Manikiotiko or Manikiatiko. Manikiatis is proper.

An oak and planes on a tiny tributary streamlet, near Manikia.

The medieval stone-arched bridge near the village of Vrissi on Kolethra tributary of the Manikiatis river.

The bridge near the village of Vrissi on Kolethra tributary.

Part of the river flows as an intermittent stream, immediately downstream of the Manikiatis Gorge.

Manikiatis Gorge in the distance. Bridge near Vrissi village on main stem.

Young eel found in the mid section of the river, before the Manikiatis Gorge.

On Central  Eubeoa we stayed at the Panorama Hotel at Platana,  we thank Katerina and Ilias for their hospitality and the wonderful views of the Aegean Sea.

Samothraki in Winter

Samothraki in Winter
December 6th to 9th 2019

A winter visit to Samothraki is nearly totally non-touristic. The overwhelming majority of visitors come here in mid-summer, so the ferry is now nearly empty. The place is totally different, calming, serene, wilder.

The occasion was a public meeting at the Chora. The issue concerns the the development of wind farms on Mount Saos!! We are against this idea - so is the Municipality of Samothraki - so we had a confrontation with the developers (one company showed up); all went very well.

So Vasso and I took some time to do some bird counting in the hills above Chora and at the Agios Andreas Wetlands (near Kamariotissa). We spotted 23 spp. in the Wetlands and nearly 20 in total above Chora. Just watching the ravens play in the sky is enough - in total quiet and peace. Highly recommended as a winter naturalist's retreat.

Kamariotissa, islands' port; early winter on Mount Saos.

Chora.

Above Alonia in the "Koufoptera" area; just a half hour's walk from Chora.

Oriental Planes at a spring above Alonia (western part of the island).

In winter Samothraki is full of Buzzards (Buteo buteo); this one above Alonia.

Above Alonia: wilderness.

The small pond just west of Kamariotissa (in the distance); unfortunately this place was chosen as the site for the future development of the island's sewage treatment plant.  Developments like this although bringing incremental changes slowly degrade important ecosystems.

Our first Flamingos; three immatures at the salty lagoon, Agios Andreas Wetlands.

They were actively feeding in the shallows.

Black-necked Grebe, Agios Andreas lagoon.

Black-necked Grebe, Agios Andreas lagoon.

Peregrine falcons were observed on two occasions this one at the Agios Andreas Wetlands Area.

The small lagoon south of Agios Andreas within Agios Andreas Wetlands: can you see the reflection of the moon?

The small lagoon south of Agios Andreas within Agios Andreas Wetlands. 

Long wintry walk.

Long wintry walk: Vasso Vlami took some of these photos - must give her more credit.

Encounter with an old billy-goat, almost too-friendly.

A group of Ruddy Shelducks (Tadorna ferruginea) - rare birds.

Reed Bunting at sunset. 

Western Aegean Freshwater Fish explorations: HCMR Yellow Fish project (Xerias Istiaia and the Beotian Kifissos)

The Xerias River on Euboea Island. Part of it is naturally intermittent - but there were spring in the Delta. An important N2K protected area. 

13-18 November - Eastern Central Greece

We are doing some late season fish sampling to gather assemblage data in rivers and wetlands and little-known areas that still have serious gaps in our databases. This for a new HCMR project "Yellow Fish", an awareness generating and outreach project to protect rivers and other waters from human negligence and neglect. Some sites we visted are protected areas, some are near N2K boundaries but just outside and not targetted at all for preservation, conservation or restoration.

See the initiating report for this project (in Greek) here:
Kitrino_Psari_HCMR-IMBRIW_EKPAA

I provide snap-shots from the recent reconnaissance electrofishig trip in the Western Aegean Ecoregion waters: two sites are shown here: one in the far north of Euboea Island and one in the mysterious Beotian Kifissos river. Both sites yielded fish discoveries.

 The Xerias Delta of Istiaia Wetlands of Northern Euboea Island

Mikro and Meglalo Livari (Lesser and Greater Lagoons) in the Xerias Delta.

Xerias a few hundred meters before its river mouth.

Yours truly at Xerias, note the dip-net I bought in Albania this summer: Had real big probs with my wrist and thumb this September - now I'm functioning 100% (I know you may not care about these intricate details...). 

Xerias bridge and the "water fall": BIG big problem for fish:total migration barrier.

Fish cannot climb this: FISH cannot CLIMB this. (Wake up!!!). This is within a Natura 2000 protected area and we need to act for some pretty rare and threatened species - this is is a priority.

The grey mullets - the Mugilids - they are important for otters as food (but they cannot swim up beyond the bridge barrier....).

This is another vulnerable - but nearly totally freshwater - and running-water- freshwater fish: the River Blenny (Salaria fluviatilis). We only found a single specimen and only below the bridge. THEY CANNOT climb up the bridge...(The population is obviously seriously threatened - we have not found them anywhere else in the Xerias river - we have checked last year). 

New species for Northern Euboea: an obscure dwarf goby, probably in the genus Knipowitschia. No idea it was here - also below the bridge (but it usually tolerates brackish conditions and would probably survive a severe drought (probably). 

And...yes we found Barbus euboicus within the Natura 2000 site of Mikro and Megalo Livari for the first time. In a recent publication my European colleagues determined that this species is NOT Barbus sperchiensis as formally alleged but the rare island endemic - the Evia Barbel. Important fish also threatened by barriers. 

We looked at the lagoons - there were Gambusia holbrooki (Eastern Mosquitofish), and lots of birds.

Wild Mute Swans - everyone loves birds, what about fish?

This is not totally irrelevant: an Egyptian Desert Cockroach (Polyphaga aegyptiaca - female): the first I see in Greece was even more exciting for me than any swan - any day...We found at a restaurant veranda in the quaint seaside town of Limni about 45 km. south of Istiaia. Best meal-discussion ever! 

The Beotian Kifissos River 

Dodwell's lithograph from 1805 featuring the spring-fed Melanos Potamos in the Kifissos valley. I should say we met up with our good HCMR colleague Dr. Christos Anagnostou at Livadeia and worked with him in this amazing and little-studied area. I post the piece of art to remind us all that these landscapes may have changed a lot - but the natural spring-fed waters and open cultural landscape nuances are still here. Conservationists be aware!

Mavroneri springs, near the village of Mavroneri. This place is not the site depicted in Dodwell's painting but it is very similar and in a rather natural state as a spring-fed wetland. 

Mavroneri Spring.

Walking with Christos Anagnostou along the Melanos Potamos. Beautiful cultural landscape. (Several sheepfold in the area with semi-fierce dogs; wolves and wild boar present occasionally). Note this area is about 100 Km north of Athens...

Mavroneri Spring and the church dedicated of course to the water deity...John the Baptist (Ai Giannis). 

The Beotian Kifissos at the Davlia Train Station. Waters were crystal clear and at low-flow (but not the artificial base flow of late summer, I guess). Fish were scarce -low density, very few large fish. I reckon its because of very low water levels in summer - we had some drought conditions in late summer this year (other years are worse). So...the potential dominant problem here may be water abstraction for agriculture.  This probably affects the fish populations.

Note the clarity of the waters... This is a distinctive river type as a fish assemblage type a four species community in cold waters in winter, warmish in summer (and rapid lowering of flow in summer and all through autumn) but with an extremely strong freshet  flood from spring snow melt from the Parnassus range. The river is embanked and straightened to a degree - to protect from flooding. But generally conditions seem fairly semi-natural. 

Sampling here with a three man team is not at all easy; the back-pack electrofisher does not work well in waters deeper than 1.3 m. The idea is to "surprise" the fish at natural barriers or when they take cover in cover -at falls, under-cut banks, tree roots (...they can see us well!).

Of the Kifissos fishes....Telestes beoticus (Beotian Riffle Dace): THE most emblematic endemic of the area.

Pelasgus marathonicus (Marathon Minnow): The "swamp-minnow" that also lives and thrives in slow-flowing river conditions; often in springs but can tallerate warm waters as well; a survivor! 

THE NEW FIND (!!): when I saw this fingerling I nearly panicked!! Its a chub (Squalius sp.). We have never found a chub -any chub- in the Kifissos. However, the late Alexander Stephanides had mentioned some kind of chub-like creature in the nearby Beotian Assopos - which had never been seen thereafter (read Economou et al. 2007). What could this chub be?

Better looks at the newly discovered Chub specimens in the Kifissos (they could easily be introduced translocated fishes - we don't know). So we are researching this. 

The second most EMBLEMATIC endemic of the region: Luciobarbus graecus (Greek Barbel). This was the commonest species along with the "easy-to-catch" Marathon minnow.

Luciobarbus graecus (Greek Barbel)

Luciobarbus graecus (Greek Barbel)

Luciobarbus graecus (Greek Barbel)

Potamon fluviatile (River Crab) - IUCN "Near Threatened" species. 

Spraints left by otters - Lutra lutra.

The upper part of the Kifissos - with a wonderful Platanus orientalis woodline (and many other tree species as well). This place not in the area's Natura 2000 delineation.

Mavroneri springs: This place not in the area's Natura 2000 delineation.