Relevant Synonyms Soletellina rubra (Schroeter, 1788) [Moazzo, 1939] Psammobia ruppelliana Reeve, 1857 [Tillier and Bavay, 1905] Psammobia rueppelli [Pallary, 1912] Psammotellina rueppelliana [Dautzenberg, 1929] Soletellina rueppelliana [Mienis, 1980] Misidentification Psammobia elongata Lamarck [Issel, 1869] Soletellina subradiata (Reeve, 1857) [Barash and Danin, 1982]  drawing: Tuvia Kurz

SHORT DESCRIPTION Shell medium sized, equivalve, almost equilateral, rather compressed with a narrow posterior gape. Outline elongate more than twice as long as high; anterior margin rounded to slightly acute; posterior margin obtuse. Sculpture smooth with concentric lines. Hinge with two cardinal teeth in each valve; no lateral teeth. Ligament external on a raised nymph. Periostracum thin, olivaceous. Internally, crusiform muscle scars and deep pallial sinus. color : variable from off white through tinged pink to violet, occasionally with few posterior radial rays. common size : Mediterranean record 46 x 19 mm; up to 70 mm in length. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS It is distinguished from other Psammobiidae by the uniform sculpture of concentric lines, especially posteriorly, and by the coloration in shades of purple. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY Deposit feeders, they burrow deep within the substratum. habitat : dredged, depth unknown. The genus is known to inhabit tranquil waters in lagoons and estuaries (Oliver, 1992).

1st Mediterranean record Egypt, 1905 [no collecting date]. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide: throughout the Red Sea; recorded in the Suez Canal (Krukenberg, 1888). Mediterranean: reported first in Egypt, Port Said (Tillier and Bavay, 1905) as Psammobia ruppelliana; more recently in Bardawil lagoon (Mienis, 1980b). ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Established but rare. Was considered acclimatised in Port Said (Pallary, 1912) but latest records are based on a few valves in Bardawil. speculated reasons for success : - MODE OF INTRODUCTION Via the Suez Canal. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS None.

KEY REFERENCES Mienis H.K., 1980b. Soletellina rueppelliana. Another Erythraean species from the Mediterranean coasts of Israel. Levantina, 26: 31. Oliver P.G., 1992. Bivalved seashells of the Red Sea. Christa Hemmen, Wiesbaden and National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, 330 p. Pallary P., 1912. Catalogue des mollusques du littoral méditerranéen de l'Egypte. Mémoires de l'Institut d'Egypte, 7: 69-207, pl. 15-18.   Tillier L. and Bavay A., 1905. Les mollusques testacés du Canal de Suez. Bulletin de la Société Zoologique de France, 30: 170-181. FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

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