PYRAMIDELLIDAE

  Adelactaeon fulvus
(Adams A., 1851)

Relevant Synonyms
Monoptygma fulva Adams A., 1851
Kleinella fulva (Adams A., 1851)
Monotygma fulva Adams A., 1851

Misidentification
-

 photo: G. Buzzuro - E. Greppi    

SHORT DESCRIPTION
Shell thin, cylindrical, slender spindle-shaped, telescopic. It is formed by more or less convex whorls, ending with an evident, but not canaliculated, suture. The sculpture consists only of flat spiral cords with narrow, somewhat punctured, interspaces. The columella shows a weak fold.

color : brownish, with a lighter colouration near the columellar zone.

common size : up to 5-7 mm in height.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
No closely related species are present among the Mediterranean species of Pyramidellidae: among this group of Gastropods (see taxonomical remarks), Adelactaeon fulvus is distinguishable for having a telescopic shell with only spiral sculpture. A. fulvus is distinguishable from A. amoenus (A. Adams, 1851), mainly on the basis of the shell shape, which is cylindrical and slightly cyrtoconoid but not as globose as in A. amoenus (Micali and Palazzi, 1992).

BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY
Pyramidellids are ectoparasites, mainly of sedentary polychaetes and molluscs.

habitat : the only information available about the habitat of this species is that from Israel records, reporting shells dredged from 9 to 22 m depth.

1st Mediterranean record
Israel, 1981 [1967].


DISTRIBUTION
Worldwide : Indo-Pacific. Mediterranean : recorded first in 1967 from Israel, Haifa Bay, Atlit-Dor, as Kleinella (Acteopyramis) fulva (Adams A., 1851) (Lavaleye and Barash, 1981); subsequently from Egypt (Mienis, 1984c).

ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS
Established but rare.

speculated reasons for success :
abundance of host species.

MODE OF INTRODUCTION
 Possibly via the Suez Canal.


IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS
None.


KEY REFERENCES

  • Engl W., 1995. Specie prevalentemente lessepsiane attestate lungo le coste turche. Bollettino Malacologico, 31(1-4): 43-50.
  • Lavaleye M. S. S. and A. Barash, 1981. First record of the Indo-Pacific species Kleinella (Acteopyramis) fulva (A. Adams, 1851) (Gastropoda, Pyramidellidae) from the Mediterranean. Basteria, 45: 87-89.
  • Micali P. and Palazzi S., 1992. Contributo alla conoscenza dei Pyramidellidae della Turchia, con segnalazione di due nuove immigrazioni dal Mar Rosso. Bollettino Malacologico, 28(1-4): 83-90.

 

  • Mienis H. K., 1984c. Kleinella fulva from the gut contents of Sciaena cirrosa. Levantina, 54: 619-620.
  • Oliverio M., 1994. On the record of a living lessepsian pyramidellid from Turkey (Heterobranchia, Heterostropha). Notiziario del CISMA, 15: 79-82.

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Last update : January 2005

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