Relevant Synonyms - Misidentification -  photo: G. Buzzuro - E. Greppi

SHORT DESCRIPTION Shell very elongated, slender, of 2-2.5 protoconch whorls (usually broken off on adults) and 10-11 teleoconch whorls. Sculpture of four smooth spiral cords on spire whorls, and a fifth one on the body whorl in extending from the suture. Aperture rounded, with simple outer lip, anteriorly with a deep and widely open, very short siphonal canal. color : whitish. common size : 3-6 mm. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS This species is distinguished from the native Metaxia metaxae Delle Chiaje, 1828, which has a similar outline, by having smooth instead of granulose spiral cords. Another native species, the cerithiopsid Seila trilineata (Philippi, 1836) also has smooth cords, but differs by its very dark, almost black color, and by having only three cords, which are smoother. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY Unknown. habitat : unknown.

1st Mediterranean record Dor, Israel, 1985 [1978]. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide: originally described from the Red Sea, the remaining Indo-Pacific distribution not well documented. Mediterranean: recorded from Israel, first in 1978 as Metaxia bacilla (Mienis, 1985b); later as Cerithiopsis bacillum (van Aartsen et al., 1989); successively from southern Turkey, from Gulf of Iskenderun to Tasuçu (Cecalupo and Quadri, 1995) and Cyprus (Cecalupo and Quadri, 1995). ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Rare. speculated reasons for success : - MODE OF INTRODUCTION Possibly via the Suez Canal. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS None.

KEY REFERENCES Buzzurro G. and Greppi E., 1996. The lessepsian molluscs of Tasuçu (South East Turkey). La Conchiglia, 279(suppl.): 3-22 (n° 280, errata p. 4). Cecalupo A. and Quadri P., 1995. Contributo alla conoscenza malacologica per il nord dell' isola di Cipro (parte II). Bollettino Malacologico, 30(10-12): 269-276 [Metaxia bacillum, p. 271]. Mienis H.K., 1985b. Metaxia bacilla and Kleinella amoena: two other Indo-Pacific species from the Mediterranean coast of Israel. Levantina, 54: 619-620.   van Aartsen J.J., Barash A. and Carrozza F., 1989. Addition to the knowledge of the Mediterranean mollusca of Israel and Sinai. Bollettino Malacologico, 25(1-4): 63-76. FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

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