Relevant Synonyms Cardium richardi Audoin, 1826 Cardium arabicum Issel, 1869 Misidentification -  photo: C. Bogi / Coll. B. Galil

SHORT DESCRIPTION Shell small, solid, equivalve, inequilateral. Outline obliquely oval, with beaks well in front of the midline. Posterior part expanded and roundly angulated. Sculpture of about 35-40 strong ribs, bearing thin scales, which become longer on posterior part of shell. color : external shell whitish, yellow, orange or red, whith reddish brown markings (Bosch et al., 1995). common size : 10-11 mm (Bosch et al., 1995). The Mediterranean specimen 9 mm long (Bogi and Galil, 1999). DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS Even juveniles of this species can be easily distinguished from all Parvicardium species not only by a much greater number of ribs but also by alternating strong and weak ribs. Close similarity with Parvicardium exiguum from which it differs mainly because it has about 35-40 radial ribs (20-22 in P. exiguum), ornamented by small and thick lamellae (tubercules in P. exiguum) and its anterior edge is more rostrated. Very similar also to P. trapezium from which it can be distinguished by its larger size (3.4 mm in P. trapezium), number of ribs (24-28 in P. trapezium) and sculpture. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY Representatives of the family are known as actively mobile, suspension feeders (Todd, 2002). habitat : sands, offshore; at Haifa port at 15 m.

1st Mediterranean record Israel, 1999 [no collecting date]. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide: Arabian Sea and throughout Red Sea; common in the Suez Gulf and Suez Canal (Tomlin, 1927). Mediterranean: reported first as Cardium richardi from Haifa, Israel (Bogi and Galil, 1999); later from southeastern Turkey (van Aartsen and Goud, 2000). ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Rare; after the first record from Haifa port, its presence was confirmed by a few living specimens and loose valves that were found along the southeastern Turkish coasts at three different locations. speculated reasons for success : - MODE OF INTRODUCTION Via the Suez Canal. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS None.

KEY REFERENCES Bogi C. and Galil S.B., 1999. Nuovi ritrovamenti di immigranti lessepsiani lungo le coste israeliane. La Conchiglia, 292: 22-29, 63. Moazzo P.G., 1939. Mollusques testacés marins du Canal de Suez. Mémoires de l'Institut d'Egypte, 38: 1-283, Cairo [Cardium (Parvicardium) richardi Audoin, p. 62]. Tomlin J.R. le B., 1927. Report on the Mollusca (Amphineura, Gastropoda, Scaphopoda, Pelecypoda). Zoological Results of the Cambridge Expedition to the Suez Canal, 1924. Transactions of the Zoological Society of London, 22: 291-320.   van Aartsn J.J. and Goud J., 2000. European marine Mollusca: notes on less well-known species. XV. Notes on Luisitanian species of Parvicardium Monterosato, 1884, and Afrocardium richardi (Audoin, 1826) (Bivalvia, Heterodonta, Cardiidae). Basteria, 64: 171-186. FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

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