Relevant Synonyms Septifer bilocularis var forskali [Oliver, 1992] Misidentification Septifer bilocularis [Albayrak and Çeviker, 2001]  photos: D. Çeviker

SHORT DESCRIPTION Shell solid, equivalve, inequilateral. Outline mussel-like with subterminal umbones. Sculpture of many strong radial, occasionally bifurcating, ribs crossed by finer concentric lines giving them a nodulous appearance. Hinge with 2-3 large teeth below the umbo, 4-6 large dysodont teeth behind the ligament. Septum across umbonal cavity. Inner margin crenulate. Periostracum of simple long fine bristles. color : externally light green with orange pink spots. Internally, light green and pink tinted. common size : in Red Sea up to 11.5 mm (Dekker, pers. comm.); the Mediterranean specimen smaller (the biggest 9.5 x 5 mm). DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS Similar to Brachidontes pharaonis externally but internally with a septum beneath umbones. Differs from the Indo-Pacific Septifer bilocularis in size - S. bilocularis can attain a length up to 50 mm - and in color - S. bilocularis is typically red, blue or green. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY Suspension feeders, epifaunal, actively mobile. The biology, ecology and use as a bioindicator of its congeneric S. bilocularis has been studied by Ompi and Lumingas (1997) and Kavun (1996). habitat : attached by byssus to rocks and debris (corals, shells), lower shore and shallow water. The Mediterranean specimen was found attached to a Spondylus spinosus shell, at a depth of 40 m.

1st Mediterranean record Southeastern Turkey, 2001 [2001]. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide: Red Sea. Present in the Suez Canal (Moazzo, 1939 as Septifer bilocularis var forskali). Mediterranean: recorded only from southern Turkey: a first record in 2001 in Yumurtalik (Albayrak and Çeviker, 2001), then in the Iskenderun area at a depth 5-7 m (Çeviker, identification confirmed by A. Zenetos on the basis of photo). ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Extremely rare; only two specimens found in different southeastern Turkey sites. speculated reasons for success : - MODE OF INTRODUCTION Unknown; its absence from the Levantine coast does not support the hypothesis of a progressive penetration through the Suez Canal. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS None.

KEY REFERENCES Albayrak S. and Çeviker D., 2001. Two extra-Mediterranean mollusks from southeast Turkey: Siphonaria belcheri Hanley, 1858 [Gastropoda: Siphonariidae] and Septifer bilocularis (Linnaeus, 1758) [Bivalvia: Veneridae]. Israel Journal of Zoology, 47: 297-298. Kavun V., 1996. Composition of microelements in the tissues of bivalves Barbatia barbata and Septifer bilocularis from Matupi Harbour (Papua New Guinea) influenced by hydrothermal activity. Marine Biology, 22(5): 318-322. Moazzo P.G., 1939. Mollusques testacés marins du Canal de Suez. Mémoires de l'Institut d'Egypte, 38: 1-283, Cairo [Septifer bilocularis L. var forskali Dkr, p. 48].   FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

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