New molluscan records from the eastern Mediterranean bathyal

Abstract

Twenty-eight mollusc species were collected by Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research during a 2011 pollution monitoring survey of a deep waste-dumping site (1264–1325 m), in the Levantine Sea, 45 km off the coast of Israel. Three species, Odostomia silesui, Ledella marisnostri, and Katadesmia cuneata are new records to the Eastern Mediterranean. The depth records of the first two species considerably extend their known bathymetric ranges. Roxania monterosatoi and Alvania subsoluta are new records for the Levantine Basin and the additional two species are new records for the Israeli coast. The finding of additional specimens of Diaphana marshalli, recently reported for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea, confirms the presence of an established population of the rare species. The exploration and production of the extensive sub-salt natural gas fields recently discovered off the coast of Israel may all too soon impact this barely explored region.