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Skerki Bank (Strait of Sicily) is a hotspot of molluscan biodiversity: multiple new records for Tunisian waters and description of three new species

Mouna Antit; Serge Gofas; Marco Taviani
Frontiers in Marine Science · Vol. 11 · 2024

Abstract

Sea bottom sampling of the Skerki Bank in the Strait of Sicily updates the census of marine molluscs inhabiting a biogeographically key sector of the Mediterranean Basin. One single dredge haul at 112-m depth yielded 110 molluscan species belonging to Gastropoda, Bivalvia, and Scaphopoda, of which 41 are new records for Tunisian jurisdictional waters, including three gastropod species new to science. Nearly all the species are shared with the fauna inhabiting the adjacent Italian waters, and most of them are reported also from Malta. We stress that sites characterized by a relevant species richness, diagnosed by hosting more than 100 species, inclusive of rare taxa, are important areas for conservation in need of adequate management.

Bibliographic Information

JournalFrontiers in Marine Science
PublisherFrontiers
Publication Date2024-10-16
Publication Year2024
Volume11
Document TypeJournal Article
eISSN2296-7745
DOI10.3389/fmars.2024.1451567
SubjectMarine science; fisheries; aquaculture; pollution; ocean observation; policy

Access Information

NARA Access CoverageOA / free full text
Journal Homepagehttps://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science
Publisher PageOpen Publisher Page
This article is openly available from the publisher.