Folia Historico-Naturalia Musei Matraensis - A Mátra Múzeum Természetrajzi Közleményei 9. (1984)

Kinzelbach, R. K.–Roth, G.: Patterns of distribution of some freshwater molluscs of the Levant region

7- A passage to the Nahr al-Kabïr (S) in the area of the Gate of Horns, which was blacked again later by basaltic extrusions; this way was used by Potomida littoralis semirugata, Maigaritifera homsensis, Corbicula fluminalis, Leguminaia wheatleyi, Unió terminális delicatus. These findings support the geological theories of the Levant (WEULERSSE 1940, VAUMAS 1957, 1961, HOROWITZ 1979) and add beyond that some details. They may be confirmed and differenciated by considering all mollusc species and also species of other taxonomical units. DISCUSSION At present only relative dating of the above mentioned paleogeographical events is possible. It is our intention to establish an absolute chronology by consulting exactly dated fossil sites, thus allowing to date evolutionary events. Therefore additional materials from the dried-up lake basins of the Syrian Plateau and from right tributaries of the Euphrates are necessary. Because of occasional displacement, routes of dispersal of the one or the other species might be misleading, but in connection with the results obtained in other species this may easily be revognized. A better knowledge of the subspecific division may be achieved mainly in gastropods by using additional anatomical and serological characters. LITERATURE: BLANCKENHORN, M., 1897, Zur Kenntniss der Süsswasserablagerungen und Mollosken Syriens. Palaeontographica, 44: 71—144, pl. 7—10 — BOURGUIGNAT, J. R., 1852, Testacea novissima qoae Cl. de Saulcy in itinere per orientem annis 1850 et 1851 collegit. Lutetiae, 31 pp. — HOROWITZ, A., 1979, The Quaternary of Israel. Academic Press, New York, London, 394 pp. — LEA, I., 1863, Description of Eleven New Species of Exotic Unionidae. Proc. Acad. nat. Sei. Philad., 7: 189—190. — LEA, I., 1864, Description of six new species of Western Asiatic Unionidae. Proc. Asiat, nat. Sei. Philad., 8: 285—286. — MODELL, H., 1951, ön Asyanin tatlisu miyeleri hakkinda — Die Najaden Vorderasiens. Rev. Fac. Sei. Univ. Istanbul Ser. В., i6 (4): 351—366. — MODELL, H., 1964, Das natürliche System der Najaden. 3. Arch. Moll., 93: 71—126. — ROLLE, H. et KOBELT, W., 1859—97, Beiträge zur Molluskenfauna des Orients. 1. Suppl. Bd. zu ROSSMÄSSLERs Ikonogr., Wiesbaden. — ROTH, G, 1983, Intraspezifische Variabilität von Gehäuse, Operculum und Radula bei Theodoxus (Neritaea) jordani in den Levanteländern (Gastropoda: Neritidae). Mitt. dtsch. malak. Ges. (in print) — SCHUTT, H., 1982, Die Molluskenfauna der Süsswässer im Einzugsgebiet des Orontes unter Berücksichtigung benachbarter Fluss-systeme Arch. Moll., 113: 17—91, 225—228. — TCHERNOV, E., 1973, On the Pleistocene Molluscs of the Jordan Valley. Pubis. Isr. Acad. Sei. Hum., Jerusalem, 50 pp., 7 pis. — TCHERNOV, E., 1975a, The Early Pleistocene Molluscs of cErq el-Ahmar. Pubis. Isr. Acad. Sei. Hum., Jerusalem, 36 pp., 4 pis. — TCHERNOV, E., 1975b, The Molluscs of the Sea of Galilee. Mallacologia, 15 (1): 147—184. — VAUMAS, E. de, 1957, Plateaux, plaines et dépressions de la Syrie intérieure septentrionale (Du parallèle d'Alep au parallèle de Homs). Etude morphologique. Bull. Soc. Roy. Géogr. Egypte, Kairo, 30: 97—235 — VAUMAS, E. de, 1961, Structure et morphologie du ProcheOrient. Nouvel essai de synthèse et orientation de recherche. Rev. Géogr. Alpine, Grenoble, 49: 225—274, 433—509, 645—739. — WEULERSSE, 1940, L'Oronte. Etude de fleuve. (Institut Français de Damas). Tours, 90 pp. R. K. KINZELBACH und G. ROTH Institut für Zoologie, Technische Hochshule 6100 DARMSTADT Schnittspahn str. 3, GFR 120