Relevant Synonyms Minolia nedyma Melvill, 1897 Coralastele emigrans Nordsieck, 1972 Misidentification Isanda cf. holdsworthiana (Nevill, 1871) [Barash and Danin, 1973]  photo: S. Gofas / Coll. B. Galil

SHORT DESCRIPTION Shell low conical, as broad as high, with 6 whorls. Two keels on spire whorls, the upper one at some distance from the suture and forming a shoulder. Body whorl with a third keel continuing the suture, base with spiral cords. Umbilicus broad, funnel shaped, surrounded by a stronger beaded cord. Aperture subquadrate, without thickening. color : whitish with brown mottles forming axial flames. Inside of aperture nacreous. common size : 5 x 5 mm. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS The broad umbilicus with beaded edge, and strong keels make this species easy to recognize. It does not resemble any native species, but there are several related species in the Red Sea. Herbert (1992) proposed the genus Pseudominolia for this group of species which belongs to the subfamily Umboniinae, whereas the real Minolia belongs to the Solariellinae, with a quite different radula and epipodium. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY Unknown. Other Umboniinae are usually filter feeders, which bury just beneath the sediment surface and funnel water using their neck lobes as a siphon. habitat : on soft bottoms (sand and mud), from just below sea level to ca. 70 m depth (Barash and Danin, 1992).

1st Mediterranean record Israel, 1973 [1966]. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide: Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Ceylon; recorded subsequently in Great Bitter Lake, dredged in 1950 (Yaron, 1984). Mediterranean: recorded first in 1966 from Israel, Haifa Bay and 'Atlit to Dor (Barash and Danin, 1973); later from Lebanon (Bogi and Khairallah, 1987); southeast coast of Turkey, from Mersina to Tasuçu (Engl, 1995). ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Common on soft bottoms of the Levantine coast. speculated reasons for success : - MODE OF INTRODUCTION Via the Suez Canal. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS None.

KEY REFERENCES Barash A. and Danin Z., 1973. The Indo-Pacific species of Mollusca in the Mediterranean and notes on a collection from the Suez Canal. Israel Journal of Zoology, 21(3-4): 301-374 [Isanda cf. holdsworthiana pp. 305-306, Fig. 3]. Barash A. and Danin Z., 1992. Fauna Palaestina: Mollusca I. Annotated list of Mediterranean molluscs of Israel and Sinai. The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Jerusalem, 405 p. + 372 Figs. Nordsieck F., 1972a. Marine Gastropoden aus der Shiqmona Bucht in Israel. Archiv für Molluskenkunde, 102: 227-245.   Yaron I., 1976. Minolia nedyma Melvill, 1897 - an Indo-Pacific trochid in the Mediterranean. Argamon, 5(5-6): 53-60. Yaron I., 1984. On the occurrence of Minolia nedyma Melvill, 1897 in the Red Sea. Bollettino Malacologico, 20(5-8): 164-166. FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

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