Relevant Synonyms Cardium striatum Spengler, 1799 Cardium australe Sowerby, 1834 Papyridea australe (Sowerby) [Barash and Danin, 1973] Misidentification -  drawing: Tuvia Kurz

SHORT DESCRIPTION Shell small, thin but solid, equivalve, slightly inequilateral; dorsal anterior part inflated; posterior part rather obliquely expanded. Outline ovate when adult slightly higher than long, slightly truncated on the posterior. Sculpture of 49 rib (34-68 depending on area and population); interstices flat, as wide as the ribs or a little wider. Ribs weakly marked (flat or slightly rounded), more pronounced on posterior slope where they become irregular and the interstices become very wide. Intersticial riblets often present in posterior part more or less well developed. Periostracal insertions always on the posterior edge of the ribs. color : very variable; externally from white to dark brown purple. Juveniles usually more colored than adults. Internally white to yellow or light pink. common size : to 35 mm in height. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS The asymmetric hinge line forming a vague angle like a hump is diagnostic. Differences from F. fragilis in size, number and shape of ribs and outline are given under F. fragilis. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY Unknown for the species. Generally cockles possess short siphons and are restricted to a shallow waters where they burrow in soft substrata. The genus is known as actively mobile, suspension feeder (Todd, 2002). habitat : littoral to shallow water but also dredged from deeper waters 31-73 m in unknown substratum (Barash and Danin, 1992). Seems to prefer clean reefal or perireefal facies (Vidal, 1994).

1st Mediterranean record Gaza, Palestine, 1948 [1937]. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide: Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea. Mediterranean: reported first from Gaza, Palestine (Haas, 1948); subsequently from Israel (Haas, 1948). ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Established but rare. A few living specimens were dredged in the infralittoral zone off the Israel coasts and shells recorded on beaches. speculated reasons for success : - MODE OF INTRODUCTION Possibly 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. 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. Haas G., 1948. Sur l'immigration de mollusques de l'Indo-Pacifique dans les eaux côtières de la Palestine. Journal de Conchyliologie, 88: 141-144.   Vidal J., 1994. A review of the genus Fulvia Gray, 1835 (Mollusca, Cardiidae). Apex, 9(4): 93-118. FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

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