Did Spiroloculina antillarum, Articulina carinata, Coscinospira hemphrichii, Peneroplis pertusus, P. planatus, Sorites orbiculus, Astacolus insolithus, Siphonina tubulosa, Amphistegina lessonii and A. lobifera reach the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal?

Year 2018, Volume: 5 Issue: 3, 378 - 385, 02.12.2018

Engin Meriç M. Baki Yokeş , Niyazi Avşar Feyza Dinçer

https://doi.org/10.30897/ijegeo.469760

Cited By: 1

Abstract

Many of the Indo-Pacific
originated marine alien species are accepted to be introduced to the Eastern Mediterranean
from Red Sea after the opening of Suez Canal and then dispersed towards the
Western Mediterranean, as well as the Aegean Sea. However, alien foraminifer
species, such as Spiroloculina
antillarum, Coscinospira hemprichii, Peneroplis pertusus, P. planatus, Sorites
orbiculus, Astacolus insolithus, Siphonina tubulosa, Amphistegina lessonii and
A. lobifera have been found in the
sediments from southeastern Turkey, which dated much before the Suez Canal. In
Akkuyu (Mersin) Amphistegina lobifera
were found to be abundant in sediment samples and the OSL (thermolunisence)
method surprisingly revealed ages, 227.3±17.8 (Middle Pleistocene), 87.7±9.6
(Late Pleistocene) and 6.0±0.6 (Holocene) thousand years before present. This
finding suggests that some alien foraminifers might have entered the Eastern
Mediterranean, not from Suez Canal, but through the Red Sea-Gulf of Aqaba-Dead
Sea Fault line and Arabian Gulf-Mesopotamia Basin. 

As a result, the historical
pathways, other than Suez Canal should be taken into consideration when
defining the mode of introduction for Indo-Pacific originated alien species
found in the Mediterranean.

Keywords

Foraminifers, Alien, Suez Canal

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