Relevant Synonyms Putilla tiberiana (Issel, 1869) Setia tiberiana (Issel, 1869) Cingula tiberiana (Issel, 1869) Misidentification -  photo: J. Boscheiner / Coll. W. Engl

SHORT DESCRIPTION Shell low conical with 4-5 slightly convex whorls and pupoid spire. Body whorl rounded, with a small umbilicus. Sculpture of very fine spiral striae all over. Aperture ovate, with thin outer lip. color : white. common size : 1.3-1.4 mm. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS This rather featureless species resembles the native Obtusella intersecta (Wood, 1857), which differs in being still more pupoid with blunt top, in being more umbilicate and brownish in color; Obtusella species are found rather deep on the shelf. Other native species belonging to the genus Setia are smooth, usually translucent with a color pattern of brown blotches. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY Unknown. habitat : on soft bottoms in shallow water.

1st Mediterranean record Egypt, 1997 [no collecting date]. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide: originally described from the Red Sea; further Indo-Pacific distribution not documented; common in Great Bitter Lake and Lake Timsah (Moazzo, 1939 as Cingula tiberiana). Mediterranean: first stated as a probable immigrant in the Mediterranean by Nordsieck (1972b) and therefore included in the list of Mediterranean molluscs by Piani (1980-83); first records based on actual specimens are from Port Said, Egypt (Giannuzzi-Savelli et al., 1997) as Setia tiberiana and Haifa, Israel (Bogi and Galil, 1999). ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Rare, possibly overlooked due to its small size and featureless shell. speculated reasons for success : - MODE OF INTRODUCTION Via the Suez Canal. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS None.

KEY REFERENCES Giannuzzi-Savelli R., Pusateri F., Palmeri A. and Ebreo C., 1997. Atlante delle conchiglie marine del mediterraneo. Vol. 2: Caenogastropoda. La Conchiglia, Roma, 258 p. Moazzo P.G., 1939. Mollusques testacés marins du Canal de Suez. Mémoires de l'Institut d'Egypte, 38: 1-283, pl. 1-14 + frontispice, maps 1-4 [Cingula tiberiana, pp.185-186]. Nordsieck F., 1972b. Die europäischen Meeresschnecken (Opisthobranchia mit Pyramidellidae; Rissoacea). Vom Eismeer bis Kapverden, Mittelmeer und Schwarzes Meer. Gustav Fischer, Stuttgart. XIII + 327 p. [Putilla tiberiana, p. 157].   Piani P., 1980-83. Catalogo dei Molluschi conchiferi viventi nel Mediterraneo. Bollettino Malacologico, 16(5-6): 113-224 (additions and corrections: 1981: 17(1-2): 1-12; 17(9-10): 13-24 / 1983: 19(5-8): 25-40). FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

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