Journal of Ecology of Health & Environment
Journal license

Journal

Journal of Ecology of Health & Environment


Volume
& Issue

Volume 7, Issue 3


Published
on

September 1, 2019


Pages

1-8


DOI

Article

Local and Temporal Distributions and a new Dispersal Phenomenon of the Freshwater Mussel Nitia Teretiuscula (Bivalvia: Unionidae) in the River Nile at Sohag Governorate, Egypt

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Authors

Fathey e. Soliman Affiliation:
Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Sohag University, Egypt
, Tarek G. Ismail Affiliation:
Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Sohag University, Egypt
, Alaa y. Moustafa Affiliation:
Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Sohag University, Egypt
and Olfat Abdelsaleheen* Affiliation:
Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Sohag University, EGYPT.


Abstract

The unionid freshwater mussel Nitia teretiuscula (Philippi, 1847) was collected from the River Nile at Sohag Governorate. Both the spatial and temporal distributions were investigated using a systematic sampling technique. In addition, the inter-relationships between the abundance of the studied species and some measured environmental factors was examined. The abundance of the mussel fluctuated during most of the year and showed clear favoring for the shallow area near the bank of the river. The organic content of the sediment was the most effective environmental factor on the mussel distribution. The present species showed also a new dispersal phenomenon that is recorded for the first time in family Unionidae. The individuals release many gelatinous structures, named embryophores, that possess many cone-shaped arms that help in carrying early stages away by water currents.


Keywords

Nitia teretiuscula, River Nile, embryophore, local and temporal distribution, dispersal phenomenon


Citation

Soliman, F. E., Ismail, T. G., Moustafa, A. Y., & Abdelsaleheen, O. (2019). Local and temporal distributions and a new dispersal phenomenon of the freshwater mussel nitia teretiuscula (bivalvia: Unionidae) in the river nile at sohag governorate, egypt. Journal of Ecology of Health & Environment, 7(3), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.18576/jehe/070301

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