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Article

Molluscs from Tidal Channels of the Gulf of Gabès (Tunisia): Quantitative Data and Comparison with Other Lagoons and Coastal Waters of the Mediterranean Sea

by
Abir Fersi
1,2,
Jean-Philippe Pezy
2,
Ali Bakalem
3,
Lassad Neifar
1 and
Jean-Claude Dauvin
2,*
1
Laboratoire de Biodiversité et Ecosystèmes Aquatiques, Faculté des Sciences de Sfax, Université de Sfax, BP 1171, Sfax 3038, Tunisia
2
Laboratoire Morphodynamique Continentale et Côtière, Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, CNRS, Unité Mixte de Recherche 6143 M2C, 24 Rue des Tilleuls, 14000 Caen, France
3
Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique (ENSA), Avenue Hassan Badi, Harrach, Algiers 16200, Algeria
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(3), 545; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11030545
Submission received: 31 January 2023 / Revised: 26 February 2023 / Accepted: 28 February 2023 / Published: 3 March 2023
(This article belongs to the Section Marine Ecology)
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Abstract

:
The present study analyses the spatio-temporal structuration of the molluscan fauna from four tidal channels of the Gulf of Gabès. A total of 26 stations were sampled at four seasons from March 2016 to January 2017, leading to the identification of 2695 individuals and 57 species. The species richness and abundances are higher in autumn than in other seasons. The fauna is dominated by seven species, three gastropods [Cerithium scabridum Philippi, 1848, Bittium reticulatum (da Costa, 1778) and Tricolia speciosa (Megerle von Mühfleld, 1824)] and four bivalves [Abra alba (W. Wood, 1802), Loripes orbiculatus Poli, 1791, Varicorbula gibba (Olivi, 1792) and Peronaea planata (Linnaeus, 1758)], which are characteristic of habitats with detritus accumulation and seagrass meadows. These dominant species are commonly recorded in lagoons and coastal shallow waters of the Mediterranean Sea. The structure of the molluscan fauna is linked to the location of tidal channels in the Gulf of Gabès. Abundances are lower in the Mimoun channel than in the other channels, especially the Maltine channel which shows a great accumulation of organic matter and high abundances of molluscs. Low abundances are found in high-energy hydrodynamic zones with gravel sediment; conversely, the presence of macrophytes (mainly in seagrass meadows) increases molluscan diversity. Comparisons with other sites in the shallow waters of the Tunisian coast and lagoons show that the taxonomic diversity of molluscs of the tidal channels of the Gulf of Gabès is equivalent to that reported elsewhere, but the abundance per m2 is among the lowest levels recorded here. Moreover, most of the dominant species found in the Gulf of Gabès tidal channel are reported as dominant in other studies covering the Mediterranean Sea. A distance-based redundancy analysis shows that depth, sediment type and the presence of marine phanerogams and filter-feeder bivalves on fine sands and gravels account for the structure of mollusc assemblages associated with each channel.

1. Introduction

Molluscs are among the predominant and most abundant components of the benthic macrofauna of the shallow waters and lagoons of the Mediterranean Sea [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]. Moreover, many of the non-indigenous species in the Mediterranean Sea are molluscs [9,10,11].
In the Mediterranean Sea, Ref. [12] recorded 2113 mollusc species that represent 19.3% of all invertebrates known to occur in this basin. Therefore, studies of molluscan assemblages can be considered as representative for understanding the ecological status and dynamics of benthic communities in coastal Mediterranean areas [13]. Many ecological studies have been carried out on molluscan faunas along the Tunisian coastline [5,8,14,15,16,17]. Other ecological studies have mentioned mollusc species in the context of bionomic studies [6,7,14,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37].
Most of the studies on molluscs in Tunisia have been carried out by considering sea grass meadow habitats [3,8,38,39] or the macrozoobenthos in lagoons and shallow coastal waters [6,7,14,29,30,40,41,42,43].
Ref. [44] analysed the malacological fauna of 25 samples (8 dredging and 17 cores) collected between 13 and 300 m depth in the Gabès Gulf and its surrounding area (Pelagian Sea). Later, Ref. [45] studied in particular the Testaceous Molluscs of the mediolittoral and infralittoral bottoms (0 to 20 m depth) of the Kerkennah plateau; he identified 150 species, without specifying the species which had been found alive and which only in thanatocoenosis. He identified four types of habitats: (1) Posidonia oceanica meadow with 71 molluscan species, (2) Cymodosea nodosa meadow (56 molluscan species), (3) Caulerpa prolifera meadow (47 molluscan species), and finally (4) soft bottoms without vegetation (fine sands, gravels, mixed sediment) with a molluscan diversity included between 19 and 42 species. Ref. [46] had studied the macrofauna of the bottoms of the Gulf of Gabès, particularly those of the Kerkennah Islands and Djerba Island; according to these authors, the malacological diversity of these areas reached 148 species.
The subtidal macrobenthos of the tidal channels of the Gulf of Gabès had been previously investigated by [36,37,47]. This ecosystem is unique in the Mediterranean Sea as it is associated with a high-energy environment with a tidal range >2.2 m at spring tide similar to that occurring in the North of the Adriatic Sea [48,49]. These tidal conditions favour the circulation of seawater, sediments, organic matter, nutrients and pollutants between terrestrial and coastal marine environments not only in the tidal channels but also in the shallower parts of the Gulf of Gabès [48,49].
In the framework of our investigations of the macrobenthic communities from tidal channels in the Gulf of Gabès [47], we obtained a large collection of molluscs. Therefore, the aims of the present study are (1) to describe the spatio-temporal patterns of the mollusc populations in four tidal channels sampled at four dates from spring 2016 to winter 2017; (2) to compare the mollusc diversity, abundances and predominant species found in the subtidal tidal channels of the Gulf of Gabès, with those recorded in intertidal zones around the Kneiss Island and other Tunisia sites in the Gulf of Gabès; and (3) to compare the molluscs population found in the Gulf of Gabès with other results reported from shallow waters and lagoons of the Mediterranean Sea.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Study Area

The Gulf of Gabès is a shallow embayment located on the southern coast of the central Mediterranean Sea, covering an area of about 36,000 km2. It is characterized by very pronounced annual water temperature cycle (13 °C in winter to 29 °C in summer) [50] and an unusually high tidal amplitude reaching 2.3 m, the highest range observed in the Mediterranean Sea [51].
In their review, Ref. [49] pointed out that the functioning of the Gulf of Gabès ecosystem is influenced by several interacting factors: the climate, water circulation, seasonal variations of sea water temperature and salinity, as well as the oligotrophic conditions. Several studies were dedicated to the impact of human activities on the benthic communities such as bait digging, clam harvesting, fishing operations in the tidal channel of the Kneiss Islands, dredging operations in the channels between the major port of Sfax and the offshore Kerkennah Islands, industrial discharge due to the phosphate industry and the relating discharge of metals, and hydrocarbon contamination (see [47] and references therein). These works suggested that the pollution effects remained moderate and only had a local impact on the benthic structure, in spite of consistent emissions going back several decades.
In spite of its exposition to numerous anthropogenic pressures, the Gulf of Gabès hosts important biological resources as well as some rich coastal and marine ecosystems, while its natural environment is also probably sensitive to climatic change [49].
In our study, four tidal channels were selected as representative of the influence of human activities in the north-western part of the Gulf of Gabès [47,49,52]: the Maltine Channel, the Kneiss Islands Channel, the Ben Khlaf Channel and the Mimoun Channel. Further details and descriptions of these channels are available in [47,52].

2.2. Sampling and Laboratory Procedures

Sampling stations were positioned from the shallow upstream to the deeper downstream parts of four tidal channels [47] (Figure 1). Seven stations were sampled in the Mimoun Channel (CM) and six stations from the Kneiss Channel (CK), the Maltine Channel (CML) and the Ben Khlaf Channel (CP), with a supplementary station in September 2016 and January 2017, for a total number of 26 stations (Table 1).
Stations were sampled (yielding four 0.1 m2 Van Veen replicates) in four seasons: i.e., March, July and September 2016 as well as in January 2017. In our study, the prospected channels are not Posidonia oceanica meadow or other marine phanerogams but soft-bottoms (see Table 1): 11 stations with fine or medium sands or sands and gravel as sediments while the other 15 stations corresponded to fine or medium sands, or sands and gravel with sparse or rare tuft of marine phanerogams. This is a typical soft-bottom substrata where the use of a Van Veen grab is suitable for collecting the characteristic macrofauna of such soft-substrate. The sediment was sieved on a 1-mm mesh a regular sieve-mesh used in most of the benthic studies from the Mediterranean Sea; after sorting, only the living molluscs were identified under a binocular microscope.
The molluscs were identified following the morphological characteristics and keys given in [53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67]. They were stored at the University Caen Normandy in the ‘Morphodynamique Continentale et Côtière’ laboratory. Their classification of the species in trophic group came from [35].
Species names were checked using the World Register of Marine Species list (http://www.marinespecies.org accessed on 31 May 2022).
In addition, measurements of temperature, salinity and pH were all carried out in situ close to the seabed [47,52].
Sediment from each sample was homogenized and wet-sieved through sieves with mesh sizes of 1000, 500, 250, 125 and 63 μm for 10 min to separate the different grain-size fractions. Then, three sediment fractions were considered: gravel (>1000 µm), sand (63–1000 µm), silt and clay (<63 µm), leading to the identification of the following sediment types: silty sand, fine sand, medium sand, coarse sand, gravelly sand and shells with gravelly sand. Organic matter content was determined on powder samples by ‘loss on ignition’ at 450 °C for 4 h.
More details on the main characteristics of the 26 sampled stations are available in [47,52] and summarized in Table 1.

2.3. Statistical Analysis of Biological Parameters

Two-way ANOVA was used to investigate spatio-temporal changes (factors involving channels and seasons) in species richness and total abundance of molluscs in the Gulf of Gabès. A Shapiro-Wilk normality test and a Bartlett test for homogeneity of variances were used. The Tukey Honestly Significant Difference test was applied when ANOVA showed significant differences. The R software package (version R 3.4.3. for Windows, Auckland, New Zealand) was used to perform ANOVAs as well as the Shapiro, Bartlett and Tukey tests.
The species accumulation was plotted with the permuted option with 999 permutations (i.e., random order repeated 999 times and with the curve being averaged across the repeats at each point) on the Species Presence/Absence (1/0) matrix, using the PRIMER 6 package.
The spatial and temporal changes considering all molluscs (abundance matrix) were analysed separately by group-average sorting classification, using a hierarchical clustering procedure (CLUSTER mode) based on the Bray-Curtis similarity index with a square-root transformation of abundances (total abundance of the four replicates, i.e., for 0.4 m2) using the PRIMER v6 software package [67].
Distance-based Redundancy Analyses (db-RDA) [68] were performed to investigate the relationship between benthic assemblage in terms of abundance (i.e., total numbers of individuals found in the four seasons at the 26 stations) and the abiotic factors. The following abiotic factors were included in the analyses: depth, bottom water temperature (temperature), bottom water salinity (Salinity), pH, seawater transparency (Transparency) % of gravel (Gravel), % of sand (Sand), % of silt-clay (Silt-Clay), Organic Matter (OM). The presence of four marine phanerogams: Cymodocea nodosa, Halophila stipulacea, Posidonia oceanica and Zostera noltei. db-RDA allows us to model the effect of environmental variables on the entire malacofauna, rather than on species richness. The abundances of the species were transformed with the Hellinger distance. Only species present on at least three stations were retained for the db-RDA (i.e., 28 species out of a total of 56).

2.4. Environmental Parameters

The patterns of the environmental parameters had been investigated in a previous study [47]. We reported here the main results of these analyses. No differences were detected between the water temperatures in the tidal channels: the mean annual sea temperature ranged from 21.8 to 23.8 °C. The water temperatures show a seasonal pattern with minimum values recorded during the winter (12–13 °C) and a maximum in summer and autumn (27–28 °C) [47]. Water salinity varies from 36 to 47, being significantly higher in the CML channel (mean salinity > 40.0) than in the three other channels, although there are no significant changes across the seasons [47].
The pH values of the sea water are significantly higher in the CML channel than at the three other sites, while there are no changes in Water transparency with season and no difference can be detected between the channels. The organic matter content in sediment samples remains high at all times of the year at the three shallow stations CP6, CML1 and CK1, and is still high in the wintertime at the deeper station CK6. Values are significantly higher in winter, but no difference is observed between these stations, while the two stations CM1 and CM2 show high mean values [47].
The stations located in the shallowest depth are mainly characterized by sand, whilst gravel is found at the intermediate-depth stations, and the deeper stations are dominated by fine sediment (Table 1). There is no seasonal difference in the percentage of fine particles between the stations [47]. Moreover, the percentage of sand and gravel is different between the two channels CML and CM, the latter showing a higher percentage of gravel, whereas sediment in the CK and CP channels are dominated by sand [47].
A total of 14 out of the 26 stations on diverse sediment types show the presence of four species of seagrasses (Table 1): Cymodocea nodosa at 10 stations from 2.1 to 8.3 m depth, Halophila stipulacea at three stations from 2.1 to 3.7 m, Posidonia oceanica at three stations from 3.1 to 13.5 m and Zostera noltei at three stations from 1 to 5.3 m.

3. Results

3.1. General Characteristics of the Molluscan Fauna

Fifty-six species belonging to three classes were identified (Table 2). The most diverse class was Bivalvia (32 species), followed by Gastropoda (22 species) and then Polyplacophora (two species). The species richness differed between the channels: 32 for CK, 30 for CM, 29 for CML and 21 for CP, with Bivalvia being the dominant taxon in all channels. Moreover, the total number of species was higher in autumn (35), closely similar in spring (32) and winter (29) and very low in summer (21).
A total of 2695 individuals had been collected during the sampling period. More than 55% of the individuals were assigned to the gastropod class, containing two dominant species (Bittium reticulatum and Cerithium scabridum), while 43% of the individuals were represented by Bivalvia with only one species (Abra alba) occurring in abundance (Table 2).
The species accumulation curve (Figure 2) shows no signs of stabilizing towards an asymptote, which illustrates high diversity of molluscs and the continued recording of additional species after a sampling effort of 11, 20 m2 (CM 28 samples of 0.4 m2). Three of the channels show similar species (CK, CM and CML) curve accumulations while this of CP is lower.
Out of the 106 samples, nineteen yield no molluscs and eleven others show only one individual in each sample. These samples correspond mainly to those collected in summer and at gravelly stations in the four channels. Seven samples show abundances of more than 100 individuals per 0.4 m2, with a maximum at station CML1 (1 m depth on mixed sediment) in summer (382 individuals per 0.4 m2).
There are significant differences in abundances between seasons (Table 3): 1059 individuals were collected during the autumn (39% of total collected individuals), and fewer during spring (510), summer (479) and winter (248). The abundances at CML (1357 individuals) are significantly higher than in the three other channels (CK: 786, CP: 330, CM: 222; Table 3).

3.2. Spatial Patterns

The main patterns that can be clearly seen include the higher abundances at the CML stations (chiefly the shallow stations CML1 and CML2 on mixed sediment), and, conversely, the low abundances at all the stations of both channels CM and CP (Figure 3). The mean abundance decreases clearly in both CK and CML channels from the shallow stations towards the deeper stations (Figure 2). The mean abundances in both CM and CP are more erratic without any spatial pattern. While a low species richness is observed at some stations (CK4 at 7.4 m on sand sediment, CM5 at 10.0 m on gravel, CML1 at 1 m on mixed sediment, CP2 at 2.8 m on sand and CP7 at 0.9 m on sand), values are highest for CK3 at 5.3 depth on sand. No clear spatial patterns of species richness could be observed in the four channels according to water depth or sediment type (Table 3).
At a level of 30% of similarity, the dendrogram based on abundance data allows us to identify nine groups of stations (Figure 4). Six stations (namely CP1, CP2, CP7, CM5, CK4 and CK5) remain unique without any links to the other stations. The stations CML1 to CML4 form a single group, while the CM stations (except station CM5) form another distinct group, with the rest of the stations forming another group of 10 stations. This last group can be divided into three sub-groups corresponding to three channels: i.e., the stations CP3 to CP6, the stations CK1, CK2, CK3 and CK6, while both of the deeper stations CML5 and CML6 belong to a separate sub-group. Generally speaking, there is little similarity between the stations (lower than 60%) or between sets of stations according to their location in any given channel (Figure 4).
There are no significant differences regarding Species Richness, J’ and H’ between stations, but differences in abundance are observed between CML and CP as well as between CM and CK (Table 3).

3.3. Seasonal Patterns

Figure 5 shows the seasonal variation in species richness and mean abundance of molluscs from the four channels (i.e., four seasons × four channels). There is a clear pattern of species enrichment in the channels in winter, except for CK, with a very low abundance throughout the year in CM and low abundances at CP. Both CM and CP show higher abundances in winter than during the other seasons, while high abundances are observed in summer and autumn at CML and in spring and autumn at CK. The H’ values vary between 0.32 and 0.41 at CML in summer and autumn (due to the predominance of the Gastropod species Bittium reticulatum and Cerithium scabridum) and rises to 3.44 in winter at CM (Table 4). The evenness J’ shows the same pattern, with low values for CML in summer and autumn (0.11) and high values for CM in winter (0.84) (Table 4). Nevertheless, we note a significant seasonal difference only in the case of Species Richness (Table 3).
The similarity between the channels is illustrated using a dendrogram based on abundance data (Figure 6). Winter is clearly discriminated from the other seasons by the absence of any changes in the structuration of the molluscan community. The four channels show a clear distinction between samples according to the season rather than spatial location.
Nevertheless, the structure of the molluscan fauna shows a greater similarity between autumn and winter than between spring and summer, but still lacks any clear pattern.

3.4. Role of Environmental Factors

The db-RDA reveals that the first two factors (Depth and Temperature) explain 27.1% of the variance, with 14.8% for the first axis and 12.4% for the second axis (Figure 7). The stations of the four channels can be clearly separated according to environmental factors and characteristic species.
The CP stations plot in the positive field of both axes, associated with the gravel and temperature factors, as well as the presence of suspension-feeder species such as Loripes orbiculatus, Pharus legumen (Linnaeus, 1758) and Varicorbula gibba.
The CK stations plot in the positive field of axis 1 and the negative field of axis 2, being linked with temperature, the silt-clay and sand fraction of the sediment, along with the presence of Zostera noltei as well as the suspension-feeder species Moerella pulchella (Lamark, 1818), Peronea planata, Abra tenuis, Nucula nucleus (Linnaeus, 1758), Lembulus pella (Linnaeus, 1758) and Cerastoderma glaucum (Brugière, 1789), species such as deposit feeders Abra alba and the grazer species Tricolia speciosa.
The CM stations plot in the positive field of axis 1 and negative field of axis 2 and are associated with salinity, gravel and the presence of Posidonia oceanica and Halophila stipulacea as well as suspension-feeders such as Gregariella petagnae (Scacchi, 1832), Gouldia minima (Montagu, 1803), and Pinctada radiata (Leach, 1814) or the mixed suspension-deposit feeder Ctena decussata (O.G. Costa, 1829) which is a symbiont-bearing species [69].
Finally, the CML stations near the centre of the db-RDA plot in the negative field of both axes, being linked with sand sediment, the phanerogam Cymodocea nodosa, pH, and the the gastropod grazer species Bittium reticulatum and Cerithium scabridum.
Thus, the db-RDA shows that the structure of molluscan assemblages in each channel can be explained by depth, sediment type and the presence of marine phanerogams associated in most cases with filter-feeder bivalves characteristic of fine sands and gravels.

4. Discussion

4.1. Main Characteristics of the Malacofauna of the Tidal Channel of the Gulf of Gabès

Despite recent studies mainly in Tunisia waters [3,5,11,14,16,17] (see Figure 8), there is still relatively little published research on molluscs from the coastal waters of southern Tunisia, including the Gulf of Gabès [6,7,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37].
The patterns of the total macrofauna had been investigated in a previous study [47]. We give here the main results of the analyses in order to place the malacofauna in the context of the total macrofauna composition found in the four tidal channels studied in the Gulf of Gabès. With 2695 individuals collected during the sampling, the molluscs make up 11.5% of the total number of invertebrates collected during the study of the macrofauna of the tidal channels of the Gulf of Gabès and 18.3% of the taxa [47]. The polychaetes represent 52% and the crustaceans 32% of the abundance of macrofauna reported in the tidal channels during our study [47]. Measurements of the total abundance of molluscs reveal seasonal changes with maximum values in winter, spring, and lower numbers in summer similar to results for the other dominant groups of the macrofauna [47]. As observed for the molluscs, each tidal channel is characterized by specific features in the macrofauna, which is dominated by the polychaete Cirratulus cirratus (O.F. Müller, 1776), the amphipod Microdeutopus anomalus (Rathke, 1843) and the tanaids Apseudopsis gabesi Esquete, 2019 and A. mediterraneus (Bacescu, 1961). In a previous work, Ref. [47] had carried out a Hierarchical Ascendency Cluster Analysis on the 26 stations and the whole macrofauna; they showed that 85% of the stations are grouped according to their location in the four tidal channels. Moreover, they had performed a Principal Component Analysis on the same 26 stations to investigate the influence of each environmental parameter. They showed that sediment type is the most discriminant factor explaining the distribution of stations in each channel, while other factors such as depth, salinity, temperature and the presence of marine phanerogams played an important role in controlling the structuration of benthic macrofauna such as the mollusc assemblages observed in this present study. Molluscs such as Bittium reticulatum are among the dominant species in summer, while Cerithium scabridum, Tricolia speciosa, Abra alba and Lamellaria perspicua are dominant in autumn and Abra alba in winter. The dominance of the deposit surface feeder Abra alba reflects the presence of organic matter in the sediment in autumn and winter. Detritus in the tidal channels shows an increase in relation to the degradation of phanerogams during these periods and their accumulation in the channels. The high abundance of the grazer Bittium reticulatum during the summer in the Maltine channel coincides with the abundance of macrofauna during this period. The grazer gastropods Bittium reticulatum and Cerithium scabridum are dominant in autumn in the Maltine channel, which is characterized by the presence of the phanerogams Cymodocea nodosa, Zostera noltei and Halophila stipulacea as well as macroalgae developed during the spring and summer.

4.2. Comparison with Other Mediterranean Malacofauna Assemblages

The present study has allowed us to record 56 species in the four tidal channels of the Gulf of Gabès, of which 28 are found in low numbers (1–4 individuals) and at only two stations (Table 2). For other Mediterranean coastal systems [70,71,72,73,74,75], a total of 87 species have been recorded in Lacco Ameno (Ischia, Italy) [72,73], 57 species in Porto Conte ((North-Western Sardinia, Italy) [74] and a maximum diversity of 136 species in the Stagnone di Marsala lagoon (Sicily) [75]. Nevertheless, it is recognized that the species richness of a particular area (whether of large extent or within a small zone) is related not only to the intrinsic global diversity of the considered area but also the sampling effort and the mesh sieve mesh used during a given campaign [76]. Consequently, it is difficult to compare the species richness of different sites where different sampling coverage; nevertheless, Table 5 reports the taxonomic richness and abundance of molluscs and the total sampling surface for lagoons and shallow waters in the Gulf of Gabès as well as other Tunisian and Mediterranean sites [1,2,3,7,8,17,29,30,31,33,34,37,41,42,43,77,78,79,80].
For the intertidal zone of the Kneiss Islands, the diversity of molluscs reported in different studies (Table 5) ranges between 17 and 82 species in the Zostera noltei meadows. For the subtidal channels of the Skhira Bay, [37]) reported 64 species, which is close to the number of species recorded in our study. In the shallow waters of the Boughara lagoon and south of Sfax, the species number is low: 26 and 19, respectively.
Studies on the northern Tunisian coast yield different assessments of species richness, varying from 13 in the Bizerte lagoon, 39 in the Bay of Tunis and 47 in the Cape of Zebib (Table 5). It is on the same order of magnitude in study on the malacofauna in other Mediterranean sites (Table 5), except along the south Spanish coast, where the species number is higher and ranges between 85 and 143. The mean abundances (69 ind. m−2 for the four channels in the tidal channels) is appallingly comprised between 22 (Mimoun Channel) and 142 (Maltine Channel (Table 5). The low abundances of molluscs found in the tidal channels of the Gulf of Gabès may be explained by the fact that the channels are constantly under strong currents, which remove the sediment and probably prevent the recruitment of juveniles. Furthermore, the mollusc abundance (76 ind. m−2) in the Smir lagoon (Morocco) [1] is similar to that reported in our study, while the abundances were higher in other Mediterranean sites, reaching 2970 ind. m−2 in the Gialova lagoon (Greece) [80] (Table 5).
For the Skhira Bay in the Gulf of Gabès, Ref. [37] reports a mollusc abundance of 115 ind. m−2 for tidal channels of the Gulf of Gabès, confirming the low abundances in such high-energy environments. For the intertidal zone of the Kneiss Islands, the maximum density reaches 6000 ind. m−2 during spring, while the other mean values for the same intertidal area vary between 487 to 1913 ind. m−2 depending on the season and the presence of Zostera noltei meadows (Table 5). For the intertidal zone of the Kneiss Islands, a maximum abundance of 1010 per m2 has been reported for Scrobicularia plana (da Costa, 1778), 866 for Cerithium scabidum, 812 for Pirenella conica (Blainville, 1829), 529 for Loripes orbiculatus and 392 for Bittium reticulatum [33]. These data on the Gulf of Gabès showed a higher abundance of mollusc on the intertidal zone than in the subtidal zone with high tidal currents. For other Tunisian areas, the abundance varies between 210 and 838 ind. m−2 (Table 5), while the abundance (76 ind. m−2) in the Smir lagoon (Morocco) is similar to that reported in our study. Abundances are higher in other Mediterranean sites, reaching 2970 ind. m−2 in the Gialova lagoon (Greece) [81].
Eight species dominate the malacofauna in the tidal channels of the Gulf of Gabès: the bivalves Abra alba (324 specimens), Cerastoderma glaucum (66), Loripes orbiculatus (160), Pinctada radiata (53) and Varicorbula gibba (137), and three gastropods Cerithium scabridum (728), Bittium reticulatum (449) and Tricolia speciosa (167). To compare the dominant species found in our study with observations from other Mediterranean sites, top species per sites are reported in Table 6. Seventy-six species have been recorded, thus reflecting the high diversity of dominant species at the scale of the Mediterranean Sea (Table 6). Three species characterize the structure of the molluscan assemblages in the Mediterranean Sea: the bivalves Cerastoderma glaucum and Loripes orbiculatus, and the gastropod Bittium reticulatum.
Moreover, five other species characterize the structure of the Tunisian malacofauna, the bivalves Scobicularia plana and Ruditapes decussatus (Linnaeus, 1758), along with the gastropods Cerithium scabridum, Pirenella conica and Tricolia speciosa. Apart from Bittium reticulatum, Pirenella conica and Scobicularia plana, the five other dominant species found in the Gulf of Gabès tidal channels have also been reported as dominant in other studies. Nevertheless, Refs. [36,37] have sampled numerous S. plana in the subtidal channels of the Kneiss Islands and the Ben Khlaf Channel. Moreover, although [37] recorded Columbella rustica (Linnaeus, 1758) at shallow depth in tidal channels of the Bay of Skhira and listed it among the dominant species, we failed to find this species in our study
The dominant species found in our study are characteristic of areas of debris accumulation, associated with the presence of Zostera, Halophila, Cymodocea and Posidonia seagrass meadows. The molluscan fauna studied here is very similar to that of the shallow seagrass beds of Tunis Bay described by [16]. These authors reported a dominance of Varicorbula gibba, accompanied by most of the predominant species found in the current tidal streams of the Gulf of Gabès; in Tunis Bay, the temporal pattern of abundance is almost identical to that observed in the Gulf of Gabès, with maximum abundances in winter (January) becoming minimal in autumn (November). The distribution of molluscs in Tunis Bay is mainly related to depth, algae concentration and detritus availability. Similarly, most of the mollusc species recorded in Tunis Bay are also present in Bizerte lagoon [8] and in the Gulf of Gabès (this study). Plant components also play a key role in regulating the distribution and abundance of molluscs in these lagoons, where the mollusc community is typical of hydrodynamically influenced euryhaline lagoons.
Ref. [13] followed by [82] highlighted the fact that the mollusc fauna of the Gulf of Gabès shows a high level of endemism: i.e., 6–28% for the gastropods, while [46] gave a percentage of 7% for the molluscs. Nevertheless, in this study, we failed to find any endemic species in the tidal channels of the Gulf of Gabès, while the gastropods Tricolia tenuis (Michaud, 1829) and the three bivalves Peronaea planata (Linnaeus, 1758), Moerella pulchella (Lamarck, 1818), and Pitar rudis (Poll, 1795) are considered as endemic for the Mediterranean Sea [12,83].
Ref. [84] recorded 156 Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) of molluscs in the Mediterranean Sea, of which 17% are present in Tunisia. For Tunisian waters, [85] reported 26 molluscan NIS (17 gastropods, seven bivalves, two cephalopods and one polyplacophore). In our study, two NIS have been recorded: Pinctada radiata (53 individuals) and Cerithium scabridum (728 individuals). Pinctada radiata and Cerithium scabridum have been reported in the Bay of Tunis by [38] and in the Messina strait (Italy) by [86].

5. Conclusions

In conclusion, in the tidal channel of the Gulf of Gabès, the molluscs show four main patterns:
(1)
A decrease in species richness from the shallower to the deeper zones of the channels.
(2)
Seasonal changes in species richness and abundance, with higher values in autumn and winter than during the other two seasons. The seasons of autumn and winter appear favourable for the accumulation of algae and detritus in the channels after the period of macro-algae growth and reproduction.
(3)
Depth, sediment type and presence of the marine phanerogams are the main factors explaining the structuration of the malacofauna of the tidal channel of the Gulf of Gabès, forming four distinct assemblages. Fine sand and gravel suspension bivalve species account for the structure of the mollusc assemblages associated with each channel.
(4)
The Maltine channel shows higher abundances than the three other channels, which could be linked to the more extensive development of seagrasses and macroalgae at this site [47,48,49,50,51,52] Moreover, a spatial pattern can be recognized in terms of species richness and abundance: the Maltine channel has the richest fauna, while the Mimoun channel has the poorest, with the Ben Khlaf and Kneiss channels showing intermediate values.
In the future, it would be interesting to study the mollusc population characteristics and their spatio-temporal changes in the long-term (>10 years), since molluscs are the main components of the macrofauna (along with polychaetes and amphipods) in intertidal and subtidal habitats of the Gulf of Gabès [47,52] It will be a stimulating challenge to assess the future patterns of molluscan assemblages in relation to human activities (mainly over-fishing) in such sensitive ecosystems, which are under the pressure of climatic changes affecting the littoral and shallow environments of the Mediterranean Sea.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, L.N. and J.-C.D.; methodology and sampling, A.F.; species identification, A.F. and A.B., software, J.-P.P.; writing—original draft preparation, J.-C.D. and A.B.; writing—review and editing, A.F., A.B., J.-P.P., J.-C.D. and L.N.; supervision, J.-C.D. and L.N. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

Financial support for this study was provided by the UMR M2C laboratory (Morphodynamique continentale et côtière) at Université de Caen Normandie, France, and by Sfax University, Tunisia. The first author Abir Fersi benefited from grants from Sfax University and from UMR M2C for a two-month stay from November to December 2016, and a four-month stay in Caen from September to December 2017.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

The raw data should be available. The specimens were stored at the University Caen Normandy in the ‘Morphodynamique Continentale et Côtière’ laboratory.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the fishers of Kerkennah and Kneiss as well as Sami Fersi and Nawfel Mosbahi for their help during the sampling, Ghassen Halouani for drafting Figure 1, Serge Gofas for his help in the Bittium species identification and checking the list of species, Nathan Chauvel for the Distance-based Redundancy analysis and Michael Carpenter for revision of the English text. The authors thank the three reviewers for their very useful comments and suggestions on the first version of the typescript.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Jmse 11 00545 g001 550
Figure 1. Study area showing the location of sampling stations in the four channels traversing the Gulf of Gabès (Adapted from [47]).
Figure 1. Study area showing the location of sampling stations in the four channels traversing the Gulf of Gabès (Adapted from [47]).
Jmse 11 00545 g001
Jmse 11 00545 g002 550
Figure 2. Species accumulation curve (Species Numbers) in the four channels sampled four times from spring 2016 to winter 2017. CP: Ben Khlaf; CML: Maltine; CK: Kneiss; CM: Mimoun.
Figure 2. Species accumulation curve (Species Numbers) in the four channels sampled four times from spring 2016 to winter 2017. CP: Ben Khlaf; CML: Maltine; CK: Kneiss; CM: Mimoun.
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Jmse 11 00545 g003 550
Figure 3. Mean Mollusca abundance (ν) (with standard deviation) and total species richness (μ) per 0.4 m2 at the 26 stations of the four channels sampled four times from spring 2016 to winter 2017. CP: Ben Khlaf; CML: Maltine; CK: Kneiss; CM: Mimoun.
Figure 3. Mean Mollusca abundance (ν) (with standard deviation) and total species richness (μ) per 0.4 m2 at the 26 stations of the four channels sampled four times from spring 2016 to winter 2017. CP: Ben Khlaf; CML: Maltine; CK: Kneiss; CM: Mimoun.
Jmse 11 00545 g003
Jmse 11 00545 g004 550
Figure 4. Cluster dendrogram showing distribution of mean abundances (for the four seasons at each of the 26 stations) as a function of the Bray-Curtis similarity index after square-root transformation of the abundances of the 57 mollusc species. CP: Ben Khlaf; CML: Maltine; CK: Kneiss; CM: Mimoun.
Figure 4. Cluster dendrogram showing distribution of mean abundances (for the four seasons at each of the 26 stations) as a function of the Bray-Curtis similarity index after square-root transformation of the abundances of the 57 mollusc species. CP: Ben Khlaf; CML: Maltine; CK: Kneiss; CM: Mimoun.
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Jmse 11 00545 g005 550
Figure 5. Mean Mollusca abundance (ν) (with standard deviation) and total species richness (μ) per 0.4 m2 in the four channels sampled during the four sampling seasons from spring 2016 to winter 2017. CP: Ben Khlaf; CML: Maltine; CK: Kneiss; CM: Mimoun.
Figure 5. Mean Mollusca abundance (ν) (with standard deviation) and total species richness (μ) per 0.4 m2 in the four channels sampled during the four sampling seasons from spring 2016 to winter 2017. CP: Ben Khlaf; CML: Maltine; CK: Kneiss; CM: Mimoun.
Jmse 11 00545 g005
Jmse 11 00545 g006 550
Figure 6. Cluster dendrogram showing distribution of mean abundances (at stations sampled in each of the four channels at the four seasons) as a function to the Bray-Curtis similarity index after square-root transformation of the abundances of amphipod species. CP: Ben Khlaf; CML: Maltine; CK: Kneiss; CM: Mimoun. Win: winter; Aut: autumn; Sum: summer; Spr: spring.
Figure 6. Cluster dendrogram showing distribution of mean abundances (at stations sampled in each of the four channels at the four seasons) as a function to the Bray-Curtis similarity index after square-root transformation of the abundances of amphipod species. CP: Ben Khlaf; CML: Maltine; CK: Kneiss; CM: Mimoun. Win: winter; Aut: autumn; Sum: summer; Spr: spring.
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Jmse 11 00545 g007 550
Figure 7. Distance-based Redundancy Analysis (db-RDA) for abundance of 39 benthic species at 26 stations in the four channels constrained by 13 abiotic factors: Depth, Temperature, Salinity, OM, Gravel, Sand, Silt-Clay, pH, Transparency, and presence of four phanerogams Cymodocea nodosa, Halophila stipulacea, Posidonia oceanica and Zostera noltei. In red, the name of the species, in Black the stations and in blue the environmental parameters.
Figure 7. Distance-based Redundancy Analysis (db-RDA) for abundance of 39 benthic species at 26 stations in the four channels constrained by 13 abiotic factors: Depth, Temperature, Salinity, OM, Gravel, Sand, Silt-Clay, pH, Transparency, and presence of four phanerogams Cymodocea nodosa, Halophila stipulacea, Posidonia oceanica and Zostera noltei. In red, the name of the species, in Black the stations and in blue the environmental parameters.
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Jmse 11 00545 g008 550
Figure 8. Main sites where molluscs had been collected in Tunisian shallow waters (Map of Tunisia, from https://d-maps.com/carte.php?numcar=1354&lang=fr) (accessed on 30 January 2023).
Figure 8. Main sites where molluscs had been collected in Tunisian shallow waters (Map of Tunisia, from https://d-maps.com/carte.php?numcar=1354&lang=fr) (accessed on 30 January 2023).
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Table
Table 1. Main characteristics of the sampling stations in the four tidal channels (mean ± standard deviation). Gravel (>1000 µm), sand (63–1000 µm), silt and clay (<63 µm); OM: Organic Matter. The four channels are labelled as follows: CP: Ben Khlaf; CML: Maltine; CK: Kneiss; CM: Mimoun (from [47]).
Table 1. Main characteristics of the sampling stations in the four tidal channels (mean ± standard deviation). Gravel (>1000 µm), sand (63–1000 µm), silt and clay (<63 µm); OM: Organic Matter. The four channels are labelled as follows: CP: Ben Khlaf; CML: Maltine; CK: Kneiss; CM: Mimoun (from [47]).
StationDepth (m)Gravel (%)Sand (%)Silt-Clay (%)OM %Sediment TypePhanerogams
CP 13.52.084.812.62.8Fine sandCymodocea nodosa, Zostera noltei
CP 22.81.796.61.50.9Fine sandCymodocea nodosa
CP 33.276.318.54.82.4Gravelly sandCymodocea nodosa
CP 46.17.987.83.81.1Fine sand-
CP 57.63.783.612.31.9Fine sand-
CP 611.92.162.434.97.3Silty sand-
CP 70.92.095.32.41.9Fine sand-
CML 11.022.249.827.69.3Silty sandZostera noltei
CML 22.157.235.47.03.1Shell and gravelly sandZostera noltei, Cymodocea nodosa, Halophila stipulacea
CML 32.167.626.45.81.7Shell and gravelly sandCymodocea nodosa
CML 43.180.617.81.51.5Gravelly sandHalophila stipulacea, Posidonia oceanica
CML 54.44.393.51.71.4Fine sand-
CML 63.730.766.92.01.5Coarse sandHalophila stipulacea
CK 12.01.689.88.54.2Fine sandCymodocea nodosa, Halophila stipulacea
CK 28.518.178.53.10.7Medium sand-
CK 35.32.390.36.92.4Fine sandCymodocea nodosa
CK 47.417.578.53.61.6Medium sand-
CK 55.32.694.92.51.7Fine sandCymodocea nodosa, Zostera noltei
CK 68.34.080.914.45.8Silty sandCymodocea nodosa
CM 13.324.167.77.65.8Medium sand-
CM 23.314.678.16.65.2Fine sandCymodocea nodosa
CM 33.635.857.46.14.9Medium sandPosidonia oceanica
CM 44.162.836.50.41.7Gravelly sand-
CM 510.061.636.61.51.8Gravelly sand-
CM 613.575.721.62.42.5Gravelly sand
CM 715.05.786.76.85.4Fine sandPosidonia oceanica
Table
Table 2. Numbers of molluscs collected in each channel during the four seasons. 2017/01: January 2017 (winter: win), 2016/09: September 2016 (autumn: aut), 2016/07: July 2016 (summer: sum), 2016/04: April 2016 (spring: spr). Sampling area at each season, CK and CML: 2.4 m2; CM and CP: 2.8 m2 except CP 2.4 m2 in spring and summer.
Table 2. Numbers of molluscs collected in each channel during the four seasons. 2017/01: January 2017 (winter: win), 2016/09: September 2016 (autumn: aut), 2016/07: July 2016 (summer: sum), 2016/04: April 2016 (spring: spr). Sampling area at each season, CK and CML: 2.4 m2; CM and CP: 2.8 m2 except CP 2.4 m2 in spring and summer.
Kerkennah (CM)Maltine (CML)Kneiss (CK)Ben Kelaf (CP)Total
Class/Family/SpeciesSprSumAutWinTotalSprSumAutWinTotalSprSumAutWinTotalSprSumAutWinTotal
Polyplacophora
Tonicellidae Simroth, 1894
Lepidochitona cinerea (Linnaeus, 1767) 21 21 21
Acanthochitonidae Pilsbry, 1893
Acanthochitona crinita (Pennant, 1777) 1 12 2
Gastropoda
Fissurellidae Fleming, 1822
Diodora graeca (Linnaeus, 1758) 123 3
Trochidae Rafinesque, 1815
Clanculus cruciatus (Linnaeus, 1758) 134 4
Phasianellidae Swaison, 1840
Tricolia pullus (Linnaeus, 1758) 11 223
Tricolia speciosa (Megerle von Mühlfeld, 1824) 111627 1319140 167
Tricolia tenuis (Michaud, 1829) 11 1
Neritidae Rafinesque, 1815
Smaragdia viridis (Linnaeus, 1758)1 11 359 112 12
Cerithiidae Fleming, 1822
Bittium reticulatum (da Costa, 1778) 1 18429 4374 2 64 15449
Cerithium scabridum Philippi, 1848 1 2317 66522704 18 183 3728
Littorinidae Children, 1834
Melarhaphe neritoides (Linnaeus, 1758) 1 1 1
Rissoidae Gray, 1847
Alvania sp 1 11
Rissoa auriscalpium (Linnaeus, 1758) 5 5 5
Setia sciutiana (Aradas & Benoit, 1874) 4 4 4
Velutinidae Gray, 1840
Lamellaria perspicua (Linnaeus, 1758) 90 90 90
Columbellidae Swaison, 1840
Amphissa acutecostata (Philippi, 1844) 2 2 2
Nassariidae Iredale, 1916
Tritia mutabilis (Linnaeus, 1758) 2 2 2
Tritia varicosa (W. Turton, 1825) 444 15 9
Muricidae Rafinesque, 1815
Bolinus brandaris (Linnaeus, 1758) 4 4 4
Hexaplex trunculus (Linnaeus, 1758) 111 11 1 2 4
Tudiclidae Cossmann, 1901
Euthria cornea (Linnaeus, 1758) 1 1 1
Mitridae Swaison, 1831
Episcomitra zonata (Marryat, 1819) 1 1 1
Conidae Fleming, 1822
Conus ventricosus Gmelin, 1791 1 1 1
Bullidae Gray, 1822
Bulla striata Bruguière, 1792 1 1 1 1 2
Pyramidellidae Gray, 1840
Turbonilla lactea (Linnaeus, 1758) 111
Bivalvia
Nuculidae Gray, 1824
Linucula hartvigiana (Dohrn, 1864)1 1 1 1 2
Nucula hanleyi Winckworth, 1931 1 1 1
Nucula nitidosa Winckworth, 19302 2 11 3
Nucula nucleus (Linnaeus, 1758) 29 29 29
Solemyidae Gray, 1815
Solemya togata (Poli, 1791) 13 3218 112 20
Nuculanidae H. Adams & A. Adams, 1858
Lembulus pella (Linnaeus, 1758) 11 42 6 7
Mytilidae Rafinesque, 1815
Gregariella petagnae (Scacchi, 1832) 23201136 55 22 6649
Lioberus agglutinans (Cantraine, 1835) 1 12 2
Musculus costulatus (Risso, 1826) 1 11 1 1 14 1 58
Margaritidae Blainville, 1824
Pinctada radiata (Leach, 1814) 331346 1121 2 3 2 253
Ostreidae Rafinesque, 1815
Magallana gigas (Thunberg, 1793) 1 1 1
Lucinidae J. Feming, 1828
Ctena decussata (O. G. Costa, 1829) 11211 2 4
Loripes orbiculatus Poli, 17911091115456 411156153656272439160
Cardiidae Lamarck, 1809
Cerastoderma glaucum (Bruguière, 1789) 11761 1437 239 121266
Papillicardium papillosum (Poli, 1791) 2 2 2
Parvicardium scriptum (Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1892) 134 11 2 27
Chamidae Lamarck, 1809
Chama gryphoides Linnaeus, 1758 12 3 1 1 1 15
Tellinidae Blainville, 1814
Fabulina fabula (Gmelin, 1791) 1 11
Macomangulus tenuis (da Costa, 1778) 1 1 1
Moerella distorta (Poli, 1791) 11 2 2 35253336
Moerella pulchella (Lamarck, 1818) 12 121 113
Peronaea planata (Linnaeus, 1758) 126 126 126
Donacidae J. Fleming, 1828
Donax semistriatus Poli, 1795 1 1 1
Semelidae Stoliczka, 1870
Abra alba (W. Wood, 1802) 1614213677389 29357152 2443462324
Abra segmentum (Récluz, 1843) 1 1 1
Abra tenuis (Montagu, 1803) 9 9 66 2217
Veneridae Rafinesque 1815
Gouldia minima (Montagu, 1803)1 5612 3 2241 1215
Pitar rudis (Poli, 1795) 1 1 1
Ruditapes decussatus (Linnaeus, 1758) 325 332911 31 1140
Corbulidae Lamarck, 1818
Varicorbula gibba (Olivi, 1792)12 3 1 1161822787478106137
Pharidae H. Adams & A. Adams, 1856
Pharus legumen (Linnaeus, 1758) 1 1 11 434345
Total33228681222834466981301357317133578978611036241603302695
Table
Table 3. Results of ANOVA tests on mollusc abundance and species richness, Shannon-Weaver Diversity (H’) and Pielou’s Eveness (J’). CP: Ben Khlaf; CML: Maltine; CK: Kneiss; CM: Mimoum (df: degree of freedom; F: F test, the mean square of each independent variable divided by the mean square of the residuals; p: p value).
Table 3. Results of ANOVA tests on mollusc abundance and species richness, Shannon-Weaver Diversity (H’) and Pielou’s Eveness (J’). CP: Ben Khlaf; CML: Maltine; CK: Kneiss; CM: Mimoum (df: degree of freedom; F: F test, the mean square of each independent variable divided by the mean square of the residuals; p: p value).
dfFpTukey Test
Species richnessSeason33.11<0.05Sum ≠ Spr; Aut; Win
Channel32.070.11-
AbundanceSeason31.660.18-
Channel34.87<0.01CML ≠ CP; CM
J’Season31.270.29-
Channel35.62<0.01CML ≠ CM
H’Season31.430.24-
Channel33.48<0.05CM ≠ CP
∑98
Table
Table 4. Values of Shannon-Weaver Diversity (H’) and Pielou’s Eveness (J’) for the four seasons and four channels. CP: Ben Khlaf; CML: Maltine; CK: Kneiss; CM: Mimoum.
Table 4. Values of Shannon-Weaver Diversity (H’) and Pielou’s Eveness (J’) for the four seasons and four channels. CP: Ben Khlaf; CML: Maltine; CK: Kneiss; CM: Mimoum.
SpringSummerAutumnWinter
CMCPCMLCKCMCPCMLCKCMCPCMLCKCMCPCMLCK
H’2.461.343.282.622.861.650.322.782.712.130.412.393.442.832.132.10
J’0.740.400.820.730.820.640.110.930.710.920.110.570.840.760.570.55
Table
Table 5. Taxonomic richness and abundance of molluscs (number of individuals per m2) and the total sampling surface and technique for lagoons and shallow waters in the Gulf of Gabès as well as other Tunisian and other Mediterranean sites. Depth in m; Nature of bottom-sediment and vegetation. References: 1. [7]; 2. [29]; 3. [17]; 4. [31]; 5. [33]; 6. [30]; 7. [31]; 8. [34]; 9. [2]; 10. [1]; 11. [79]; 12. [80]; 13. [8]; 14. [3]; 15. [77]; 16. [42]; 17. [43]; 18. [80]; 19. [41]; 20. [78]; 21. [37].
Table 5. Taxonomic richness and abundance of molluscs (number of individuals per m2) and the total sampling surface and technique for lagoons and shallow waters in the Gulf of Gabès as well as other Tunisian and other Mediterranean sites. Depth in m; Nature of bottom-sediment and vegetation. References: 1. [7]; 2. [29]; 3. [17]; 4. [31]; 5. [33]; 6. [30]; 7. [31]; 8. [34]; 9. [2]; 10. [1]; 11. [79]; 12. [80]; 13. [8]; 14. [3]; 15. [77]; 16. [42]; 17. [43]; 18. [80]; 19. [41]; 20. [78]; 21. [37].
Study Area (Country)YearDepth (m)Nature of Bottom-Sediment and VegetationSampling Technique (Gear)Sampled Area Per Station (m2)Total Sampled Area (m2)Taxonomic RichnessAbundance (ind./m2)Reference
Gulf of Gabès, TunisiaFour Tidal Channels: Maltine Channel, Kneiss Islands Channel, Ben Khlaf Channel and Mimoun ChannelSeasonally: March, July, September 2016, January 20173 to 15Fine sand (FS), Gravelly sand with seagrass (Cymodosa nodosa, Zostera noltei) and macroalgae Van Veen grab0.440.8
Maltine: 9.6
Kneiss: 9.6
Ben Khlaf: 11.2
Mimoun: 10.4		56
29
32
30
21		69 (mean)
142
82
30
22		This study
Boughrara lagoonSeasonally: February 2012 to November 20130.2 to 3.1FSScuba diving0.759.75261121
Kneiss IslandsJanuary and March 2012IntertidalFS-Medium sand (MS) with Zostera nolteiHand corer0.0320.608246392
Kneiss Islands and Maltine WadiSeasonally: July 2013 to April 2014IntertidalFS-MS with Zostera nolteiQuadrat1.2510824873
Kneiss IslandsSeptember 2013 and December 2013IntertidalFS-MS with Zostera nolteiHand corer0.721.30No dataMinimum 804
Maximum 1913		4
Kneiss IslandsSpring 2013 and 2014IntertidalFS-MS with Zostera nolteiHand corer0.093.064060005
Kneiss IslandsMarch and April 2015IntertidalFS-MS with Zostera nolteiHand corer0.180.7217No data6
Kneiss Islands April 2014 and Seasonally: October 2013, January, April and July 2014IntertidalFS-MS with Zostera nolteiHand corer0.093.0646No data7
Zone of South Sfax Seasonally: April, July and October 2015, January 20161.5 to 8FS-MS—Coarse sand
Mud		Van Veen grab0.29.619No data8
Skhira BayApril 20101.5 to 24FS-Coarse sand –Muddy sandVan Veen grab0.25.66411521
Tunisia (others)Bizerte lagoon (NE of Tunisia)Monthly: September 2009 to September 20100.2 to 0.8Meadow of seagrass (Cymodosa nodosa) and macroalgaeScrapping0.7591383813
Cap Zebib (NE of Tunisia)Monthly: May 2007 to May 20083 and 12P. oceanica meadowScuba diving0.153.64721014
Tunis Bay (N Tunisia)
Djerba Island (Gulf of Gabès, Tunisia)		May 2008
July 2009		<5
10 to 34		Sandy mud
Sandy mud		Scuba diving
Van Veen grab		0.4
0.36		4
3.96		39
3		No data18
Others Mediterranean SitesMellah lagoon (NE Algeria)Seasonally: July 2008 to June 20091 to 5FS with Ruppia spp.Van Veen grab0.318111889
Smir lagoon (Mediterranean coast of Morocco)Monthly: May 1999 to November 20001 to 2FS-MS with macroalgae and seagrass (Ruppia maritima, Zostera noltei)Hand corer0.253097610
Canuelo bay (Southern Spain)Seasonally: June, September, December 2004 and March 200512–14Zostera marina meadowScuba diving0.321.2785189620
Tyrrhenian Sea Ionian Sea (Southern Italia)Spring 2015
summer 2015		10 to 20FS
Posidonia oceanica meadow		Airlift pump0.48
0.75		1.92
3		36
38		355
135		15
Calaburas (Southern Spain)
Calahonda (Southern Spain)		Seasonally: July, November 2007 and January, April 20082 to 3Posidonia oceanica meadowAirlift sampler1.25
1.25		5
5		143
134		641
1101		11
Gialova lagoon (Greece)Seasonally: June, September, December 1995 and March 19960 to 1Muddy sand with Cymodocea nodosaVan Veen grab0.25723297012
Table
Table 6. Comparison of the top species found in our study with observations from other studies in the Gulf of Gabès, Tunisian sites and other Mediterranean sites. FS, Fine Sand; HP, Posidonia oceanica meadow. References: 1. [7]; 2. [29]; 3. [17]; 4. [31]; 5. [33]; 6. [30]; 7. [31]; 8. [34]; 9. [2]; 10. [1]; 11. [79]; 12. [80]; 13. [8]; 14. [3]; 15. [77]; 16. [42]; 17. [43]; 18. [80]; 19. [41]; 20. [78]; 21. [37].
Table 6. Comparison of the top species found in our study with observations from other studies in the Gulf of Gabès, Tunisian sites and other Mediterranean sites. FS, Fine Sand; HP, Posidonia oceanica meadow. References: 1. [7]; 2. [29]; 3. [17]; 4. [31]; 5. [33]; 6. [30]; 7. [31]; 8. [34]; 9. [2]; 10. [1]; 11. [79]; 12. [80]; 13. [8]; 14. [3]; 15. [77]; 16. [42]; 17. [43]; 18. [80]; 19. [41]; 20. [78]; 21. [37].
Gulf of Gabès Others Sites TunisiaOthers Mediterranean Sites
Class/Family/SpeciesPresent Study1234567821131417##16 (Ghar El Melh)16 (Southern Lagoon Tunis)16 (Tunis Bay)19 (Coast of Dkhila)9101215 (FS)15 (HP)2011
Polyplacophora
Chitonidae Rafinesque, 1815
Rhyssoplax olivacea (Spengler, 1797) + +
Scaphopoda
Fustiariidae Steiner, 1991
Fustiaria rubescens (Deshayes, 1826) +
Dentaliidae (Children, 1834)
Antalis vulgaris (da Costa, 1778) +
Gasteropoda
Trochidae Rafinesque, 1815
Gibbula ardens (Salis Marschlins, 1793) +
Jujubinus exasperatus (Pennant, 1777) +
Jujubinus striatus (Linnaeus, 1758) + +
Phorcus articulatus (Lamark, 1822) +
Steromphala racketti (Payraudeau, 1826) +
Steromphala umbilicaris (Linnaeus, 1758) +
Calliostomatidae Thiele, 1924
Calliostoma laugieri (Payraudeau, 1826) +
Calliostoma zizyphinum (Linnaeus, 1758) + +
Phasianellidae Swaison, 1840
Tricolia pullus (Linnaeus, 1758) + + +
Tricolia speciosa (Megerle von Mühlfeld, 1824)+ +++ + + +
Neritidae Rafinesque, 1815
Smaragdia viridis (Linnaeus, 1758) + + + +
Cerithiidae Fleming, 1822
Bittium latreillii (Payeaudeau, 1826) +
Bittium reticulatum (da Costa, 1778)++ + + + + ++ + ++
Cerithium scabridum Philippi, 1848++++++++++ + +
Cerithium vulgatum Bruguière, 1792 + + + +
Potamididae H. Adams & A. Adams, 1854
Pirenella conica (de Blainville, 1829) + + + +
Naticidae Guilding, 1834
Euspira nitida (Donovan, 1803) +
Neverita josephinia Risso, 1826 +
Rissoidae Gray, 1847
Rissoa auriscalpium (Linnaeus, 1758) + +
Rissoa violacea Desmarest, 1914 +
Anabathridae Keen, 1951
Nodulus contortus (Jeffreys, 1856) +
Hydrobiidae Pruvot-Fol, 1937
Ecrobia ventrosa (Montagu, 1803) ++
Hydrobia acuta (Draparnaud, 1805) + ++ +
Cystiscidae Stimpson, 1865
Gibberula miliaria (Linnaeus, 1758) +
Columbellidae Swaison, 1840
Columbella rustica (Linnaeus, 1758) +
NassariidaeIredale, 1916
Tritia corniculum (Olivi, 1792) + +
Tritia incrassata (Strøm, 1768) + +
Tritia mutabilis (Linnaeus, 1758) + +
Tritia neritea (Linnaeus, 1758) + + + +
Tritia nitida (Jeffreys, 1867) +
Tritia pellucida (Risso, 1827) +
Tritia reticulata (Linnaeus, 1758) +
Tritia varicosa (W. Turton, 1825) +
Pisaniidae Gray, 1857
Aplus dorbignyi (Payraudeau, 1826) +
Muricidae Rafinesque, 1815
Hexaplex trunculus (Linnaeus, 1758) +
Conidae Fleming, 1822
Conus ventricosus (Gmelin, 1791) +
Bullidae Gray, 1822
Bulla striata Bruguière, 1792) +
Haminoeidae Pilsbry, 1895
Haminoea navicula (da Costa, 1778) +
Pyramidellidae Gray, 1840
Parthenina juliae (de Folin, 1872) +
Bivalvia
Nuculidae Gray, 1824
Nucula nitidosa (Winckworth, 1930) +
Solemyidae Gray, 1815
Solemya togata (Poli, 1791) +
Mytilidae Rafinesque, 1815
Musculus costulatus (Risso, 1826) +
Mytilaster marioni (Locard, 1889) +
Mytilaster minimus (Poli, 1795) + +
Mytilus galloprovincialis Lamark, 1819 + ++ +
Noetiidae Stewart, 1930
Striarca lactea (Linnaeus, 1758) +
Margaritidae Blainville, 1824
Pinctada radiata (Leach, 1814)+ + +
Lucinidae J. Feming, 1828
Loripes orbiculatus Poli, 1795++++ +++ + + ++
Lucinella divaricata (Linnaeus, 1758) +
Cardiidae Lamarck, 1809
Cerastoderma glaucum (Bruguière, 1789)++ ++ + ++ +++
Parvicardium exiguum (Gmelin, 1791) +
Parvicardium scriptum (Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1892) +
Cardita calyculata (Linnaeus, 1758) +
Glans trapezia (Linnaeus, 1767) + +
Mactridae Lamarck, 1809
Lutraria lutraria (Linnaeus, 1758) +
Tellinidae Blainville, 1814
Fabulina fabula (Gmelin, 1791) +
Gastrana fragilis (Linnaeus, 1758) +
Macomangulus tenuis (da Costa, 1778) + +
Moerella distorta (Poli, 1791) +
Moerella donacina (Linnaeus, 1758) + +
Moerella pulchella Lamarck, 1818) ++ +
Semelidae Stoliczka, 1870
Abra alba (W. Wood, 1802)++ ++
Abra segmentum (Récluz, 1843) + +
Abra tenuis (Montagu, 1803) ++
Scrobicularia plana (da Costa, 1778) +++++++ +
Veneridae Rafinesque 1815
Chamelea gallina (Linnaeus, 1758) + +
Dosinia lupinus (Linnaeus, 1758) + + + +
Polititapes aureus (Gmelin, 1791) ++ + +
Ruditapes decussatus (Linnaeus, 1758) ++ ++ +
Corbulidae Lamarck, 1818
Varicorbula gibba (Olivi, 1792)+ + +
Hiatellidae Gray, 1824
Hiatella arctica (Linnaeus, 1767) +
Pharidae H. Adams & A. Adams, 1856
Pharus legumen (Linnaeus, 1758) +
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MDPI and ACS Style

Fersi, A.; Pezy, J.-P.; Bakalem, A.; Neifar, L.; Dauvin, J.-C. Molluscs from Tidal Channels of the Gulf of Gabès (Tunisia): Quantitative Data and Comparison with Other Lagoons and Coastal Waters of the Mediterranean Sea. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11, 545. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11030545

AMA Style

Fersi A, Pezy J-P, Bakalem A, Neifar L, Dauvin J-C. Molluscs from Tidal Channels of the Gulf of Gabès (Tunisia): Quantitative Data and Comparison with Other Lagoons and Coastal Waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 2023; 11(3):545. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11030545

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fersi, Abir, Jean-Philippe Pezy, Ali Bakalem, Lassad Neifar, and Jean-Claude Dauvin. 2023. "Molluscs from Tidal Channels of the Gulf of Gabès (Tunisia): Quantitative Data and Comparison with Other Lagoons and Coastal Waters of the Mediterranean Sea" Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 11, no. 3: 545. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11030545

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