TY - JOUR
T1 - Pleistocene landsnails from the coastal plain of Israel
AU - Heller, Joseph
AU - Tchernov, Eitan
PY - 1978
Y1 - 1978
N2 - The landsnail fauna of five fossil layers from two sites in Israel's Coastal Plain, Shefayyim and Netanya, was analyzed. The layers date from about 45,000 years ago to Subrecent. Four species were found: The Jaminia ovularis-sulcidens complex, Trochoidea (Xerocrassa) davidiana, Xeropicta vestalis and Monacha syriaca - all present in the Coastal Plain today. Remarkable is the absence from all fossil layers of Theba pisana, the landsnail most abundant today in the Coastal Plain. As T. pisana has also not been found in any other Pleistocene sites in Israel, it is suggested that this species was introduced into Israel during historic times. Thereafter, competition with Xeropicta vestalis was inevitable, as both occupy a similar habitat. Rich morph diversity occurs in recent Xeropicta as compared with the fossil samples; it is tempting to suggest that this outburst of diversity is related to some ecological displacement into which Xeropicta was perhaps forced, due to competition with Theba. Within Jaminia, the alternating frequencies of ovularis and of sulcidens suggest that about 40,000-50,000 years ago, presumably due to regression of the sea, Shefayyim was an inland plain. About 35,000-40,000 years ago, presumably due to marine transgression, it became a coastal sand dune as it is nowadays.
AB - The landsnail fauna of five fossil layers from two sites in Israel's Coastal Plain, Shefayyim and Netanya, was analyzed. The layers date from about 45,000 years ago to Subrecent. Four species were found: The Jaminia ovularis-sulcidens complex, Trochoidea (Xerocrassa) davidiana, Xeropicta vestalis and Monacha syriaca - all present in the Coastal Plain today. Remarkable is the absence from all fossil layers of Theba pisana, the landsnail most abundant today in the Coastal Plain. As T. pisana has also not been found in any other Pleistocene sites in Israel, it is suggested that this species was introduced into Israel during historic times. Thereafter, competition with Xeropicta vestalis was inevitable, as both occupy a similar habitat. Rich morph diversity occurs in recent Xeropicta as compared with the fossil samples; it is tempting to suggest that this outburst of diversity is related to some ecological displacement into which Xeropicta was perhaps forced, due to competition with Theba. Within Jaminia, the alternating frequencies of ovularis and of sulcidens suggest that about 40,000-50,000 years ago, presumably due to regression of the sea, Shefayyim was an inland plain. About 35,000-40,000 years ago, presumably due to marine transgression, it became a coastal sand dune as it is nowadays.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=20444363875&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/00212210.1978.10688453
DO - 10.1080/00212210.1978.10688453
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AN - SCOPUS:20444363875
SN - 0021-2210
VL - 27
SP - 1
EP - 10
JO - Israel Journal of Zoology
JF - Israel Journal of Zoology
IS - 1
ER -