Josephella marenzelleri Caullery & Mesnil, 1896

Ben-Eliahu, M. Nechama & Ten Hove, Harry A., 2011, Serpulidae (Annelida: Polychaeta) from the Suez Canal- From a Lessepsian Migration Perspective (a Monograph) 2848, Zootaxa 2848 (1), pp. 1-147 : 41-42

Josephella marenzelleri Caullery & Mesnil, 1896

Fig. 3C

Josephella marenzelleri Caullery & Mesnil 1896: 482–486 , figs 1–6 [Type locality: English Channel, France, Cap de la Hague]; Fauvel 1955a: 3–4 [including J. humilis Bush, 1905 ; eastern Atlantic, English Channel; France, Cherbourg, Roscoff, Wimereux; Mediterranean, Corsica, Lebanon, Beirut]; Zibrowius 1968: 172–174, pl. 9, figs 14–22 [ France: Atlantic; Mediterranean]; Bianchi 1981: 133–135, figs 50a, b [ Italy]; Ben-Eliahu & ten Hove 1989: 394.

Eastern Mediterranean

Josephella humilis Bush 1905: 291 [ Lebanon: Beirut, first Levant record], synonymised by Fauvel (1927, 1955a).

Josephella marenzelleri: Fauvel 1955a: 3–4 [ Lebanon, Beirut; for distribution, see above citation]; Ben-Eliahu 1976: 109 [ Israel, intertidal cryptofauna]; Ben-Eliahu 1991b: 518 [ Cyprus, Israel]; Ben-Eliahu & ten Hove 1992: 40 [ Israel, entire coast from north to south, 1–24 m]; Ben-Eliahu & Fiege 1996: 33–38 [western Levant Basin, Turkey, Cyprus, Levant coast]; Ben-Eliahu & Payiatas 1999: 108–113, figs 3a–d, 4a–d [ Cyprus, Israel, J. marenzelleri , s. str., and the first description of the thick-rimmed form].

Gulf of Suez and Gulf of Aqaba

Josephella marenzelleri: Ben-Eliahu 1976: 113 [Gulf of Aqaba, Sinai Peninsula, intertidal cryptofauna]; Ben-Eliahu & Dafni 1979: 207 [Gulf of Aqaba, Israel]; Ben-Eliahu & Safriel 1982: 389 [Gulf of Aqaba, Sinai Peninsula: Israel, Egypt, intertidal cryptofauna].

Red Sea proper-Indo-West-Pacific (excluding citations from Gulf of Suez and Gulf of Aqaba already given above) Josephella marenzelleri: Dew 1959: 52 , fig. 21 [ Australia, New South Wales]; Wehe & Fiege 2002: 128 [Red Sea; list of references].

Material examined. Locations adjacent to the Suez Canal, Mediterranean side: Crete: 1 sample (intertidal).— Turkey: 3 samples (intertidal). Cyprus: 24 samples (6 samples included the “thick-rim” form described in Ben-Eliahu & Payiatas (1999) along with the typical form; 2 samples comprised only the thickrim form, [0–0.5]–[0–8]–[10–18] – 92 m]).— Lebanon, Beirut, 1 spec., permanent mount, det. K.J. Bush 1905 Josephella humilis , and several tubes on a bivalve, collectively catalogued as YPM 2969 though not specified as a type, synonymised with J. marenzelleri by Fauvel (1927: 380–381, fig. 129 m –t), confirmed M.N. Ben- Eliahu 1998.— Israel: 7 samples (3 samples with both thick-rim and typical forms, 1 with only thick-rim form, [intertidal –[4–6]–[8–10] – 18 m]).

Suez Canal material reported herein ( Fig. 3C): Beets’ Great Bitter Lake samples, VIII / IX 1950, residues of minute tubes on shells, 2 subsamples, presumed to be Josephella .— Great Bitter Lake “Yellow Fleet” Biofouling Samples , January 13–20 1975, 18 subsamples, ca. 119 specimens .

Locations adjacent to the Suez Canal , Red Sea side: Gulf of Suez : None.—Gulf of Aqaba : Egypt, Israel, typical form, but population from North Beach, Elat included individuals lacking opercula: 6 samples, intertidal– 3–8 m, HUJ .

Suez Canal depth and substrates: On sponges; on the bivalves, Brachidontes pharaoni s and Spondylus spinosus ; on tube of Spirobranchus tetraceros , on barnacles; in crevices of bryozoans; on tunicates; in crevices of biofouling conglomerate.

Distribution. Worldwide in (sub) tropical to temperate regions. Mediterranean: Israel; Gulf of Aqaba: Israel, Egypt.

Remarks. A cryptofaunal species frequently found in calcareous concretions, e.g., coralligène, calcareous algae. The new record is most likely due to the stable reef-like substrate provided by the biofouling aggregation on the “Yellow Fleet” ships. Erect tubes were also found on Spondylus spinosus between the spines ( Fig. 3C) and on tunicates in folds near the siphons. Some tubes were coiled. The Great Bitter Lake individuals seemed typical. A thick-rimmed opercular form, described in Ben-Eliahu & Payiatas (1999), is present along with the typical form in populations from both Cyprus and Israel. The Red Sea population from the Gulf of Aqaba (Sinai Peninsula) only had typical opercula, suggesting that the Suez Canal population originated from the that population.