Relevant Synonyms Cerithium kochi Philippi, 1848 Cerithium subulatum Lamarck, 1822 Cerithium recurvum Sowerby, 1855 Misidentification -  photo: S. Gofas / Coll. G. Spada

SHORT DESCRIPTION Shell very slender, high-spired, about 4.5 times as long as wide, of 13-17 whorls (not counting the protoconch whorls usually eroded in the adult). Sculpture on early spire whorls of two spiral cords at some distance from the suture, on later spire whorls rising to 6-7 spiral cords running quite close to each other and alternating one stronger and one weaker, the subsutural cord stronger and with more conspicuous knobs. Weak axial folds determine knobs at their intersection with the spirals, and there are also a few varixes along the spire. Body whorl very slightly expanded. Aperture with a somewhat thickened outer lip, smooth inside, and a moderately long, quite open siphonal canal. color : pale buff background with irregular brownish areas, the interspaces between spiral cords usually darker. common size : commonly 20-30 mm high, up to 40 mm in Mediterranean specimens and 50 mm in the Indo-Pacific. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS This species is distinguished from any other cerithid in the area by its extremely slender shape. Young specimens will be distinguished from look-alike species of Bittium or Clathrofenella by the much more developed, protruding siphonal canal, surrounded by a rather concave area of the body whorl. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY Egg masses are gelatinous strings attached to the bottom, from which the larvae hatch as planktotrophic veligers. habitat : in its original range, the habitat is on muddy to sandy bottom from shallow water to ca. 60 m, mostly between 20-60 m. The Mediterranean habitat seems to be quite the same, on the continental shelf.

1st Mediterranean record Haifa Bay, Israel, 1973 [1963]. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide: Red Sea: Indian Ocean, south to Natal and to NW Australia; Western Pacific, south to northern Australia and New Caledonia. Mediterranean: recorded first in 1963 from Israel (Barash and Danin, 1973); successively from Cyprus (Demetropoulos and Hadjichristophorou, 1976); Lebanon (Bogi and Khairalla, 1987); Turkey, from Gulf of Iskenderun to Alanya (Enzenross et al., 1990). ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Invasive where established; "one of the most abundant gastropod species in the Mediterranean waters" (Barash and Danin, 1977a). speculated reasons for success : - MODE OF INTRODUCTION Possibly via the Suez Canal although it is not recorded from the canal itself. 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 [Cerithium kochi pp. 308-309, Fig. 5]. Barash A. and Danin Z., 1977a. Additions to the knowledge of Indo-Pacific Mollusca in the Mediterranean. Conchiglie, 13(5-6): 85-116. Demetropoulos A. and Hadjichristophorou M., 1976. Some additions to the knowledge of the malacofauna of Cyprus. Departement of Fisheries, Nicosia: 75-83.   Enzenross L., Enzenross R. and Niederhöfer H.J., 1990. Wissenschaflich interssante Funde aus der Sammlung Enzenross (marine Invertebraten). Jahreshefte der Gesellschaftten fuer Naturkunde in Wuerttemberg, 145: 283-294. Houbrick R.S., 1978a. The family Cerithiidae in the Indo-Pacific. Part 1: the genera Rhinoclavis, Pseudovertagus and Clavocerithium. Monographs of Marine Mollusca, 1: 1-130 [R. kochi pp. 73-79]. FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

Last update : January 2005 ©ciesm 2002