A sinistral specimen of Melanoides tuberculata (Müll.) from Israel (Gastropoda Prosobranchia: Thiaridae) PDF
Preview A sinistral specimen of Melanoides tuberculata (Müll.) from Israel (Gastropoda Prosobranchia: Thiaridae)
BASTERIA, 59: 96, 1996 Asinistral specimen ofMelanoides tuberculata (Müll.) from Israel (Gastropoda Prosobranchia:Thiaridae) Henk+K. Mienis NationalMollusc Collection.Berman Building,DepartmentofEvolution, Systematics&Ecology, Hebrew University, 91904Jerusalem,Israel & Reuven Ortal NatureReserves Authority,78Yermiyahu Street, 94467Jerusalem,Israel Ajuvenile,sinistralshell ofMelanoidestuberculatais recorded fromafossil bearinglayerinthe Nahal Polegbasin in Israel. It seems to represent thefirst caseofa sinistralspecimenofthis species. Key words: Gastropoda, Prosobranchia, Thiaridae,Melanoides tuberculata,sinistrality. Israel. During fieldworkin the westernmost part ofthe NahalPoleg basin,just northofthe Wingate Institute, some 6 km south ofNetanya (Israel) several fossilbearing outcrops were sampled on 8 June 1995. These layers are very rich in land and freshwater molluscs. Some containnumerousfreshwaterspecies ofNilotic origin: Bulinus truncatus (Audouin, 1826), Gyraulus ehrenbergi (Beck, 1837), Biomphalania alexandrina(Ehrenberg, 1831),Radixnatalensis(Krauss, 1848),Cleopatra bulimoidessyriaca Pallary, 1929,andsoon. Others are characterizedby the presence of more northernspecies like the landsnails Truncatellinacylindrica (Ferussac, 1807), Vertigo antivertigo (Draparnaud, 1801)and Vallonia enniensis (Gredler, 1856). A thorough study of this material and especially an exact datingofthe various layers may provide newinsights into the evolutionofthe mollusc fauna ofinlandaquatic habitatsin the Mediterraneanplains ofIsrael (Mienis & Ortal, in preparation). Oneofthelayers characterizedby apeatformationandthepresence ofmanyNilotic elements contained a perfect, but stilljuvenile, sinistral shell ofMelanoides tuberculata (Miiller, 1774). The shell measures 2.8 X 1.2 mm. All other specimens ofthis species wereofthenormaldextral form.As faraswe couldcheck, this seems to bethevery first record ofsinistrality in Melanoidestuberculata.The specimen in question is preserved in the NationalMolluscCollectionofthe Hebrew University ofJerusalem underno. HUJ 12662.
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