Skerki Bank (Strait of Sicily) is a hotspot of molluscan biodiversity: multiple new records for Tunisian waters and description of three new species

• DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2024.1451567
• Publication Date: 2024-10-16T09:49:47Z
• Authors: Mouna Antit; Serge Gofas; Marco Taviani
• Keywords: Hotspot (geology); Biodiversity hotspot; Marine Biodiversity

Sea bottom sampling of the Skerki Bank in Strait Sicily updates census marine molluscs inhabiting a biogeographically key sector Mediterranean Basin. One single dredge haul at 112-m depth yielded 110 molluscan species belonging to Gastropoda, Bivalvia, and Scaphopoda, which 41 are new records for Tunisian jurisdictional waters, including three gastropod science. Nearly all shared with fauna adjacent Italian most them reported also from Malta. We stress that sites characterized by relevant richness, diagnosed hosting more than 100 species, inclusive rare taxa, important areas conservation need adequate management.