Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 126, June 2015, pp. 1-16. | Page 4

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In a study published in 2008, twenty-six species of gastropods (terrestrial, shellbearing snails and slugs) were recorded at the ‘Evolution Canyon’ microsite,
lower Wadi Fallah River (Nahal Oren), Mount Carmel, Occupied Palestine.
Twenty-five species were recorded at the temperate, mesic north-facing slope
(NFS) and 20 species at the xeric south-facing slope (SFS). Out of these species,
six were NFS specific (Pilorcula raymondi hebraica, Euchondrus septemdentatus,
Monacha crispulata, Pyramidula rupestris hierosolymitana, Truncatellina haasi,
and Vitrea contracta) and one was SFS specific (Prolimax eustrictus). The
interslope difference was probably partly due to missing forest species at the
SFS in comparison with the NFS. Twenty-two species were Levantine endemics
(84.6%) and four species were more widely distributed in the Palaearctic region
(15.4%). The Levantine species are inhabitants of the mesic and mainly
mountainous regions, but four species (Granopupa granum, Calaxis
hierosolymarum, Cecilioides acicula, and Helix engaddensis) also penetrate the
deserts. Seven species (Buliminus labrosus, Helix engaddensis, Levantina spiriplana
caesareana, Metafruticicola fourousi, Monacha syriaca, Sphincterochila cariosa, and
Xeropicta vestalis joppensis) were significantly more abundant on the SFS than on
the NFS. The local physical microclimatic sharp divergence leads to gastropod
adaptive interslope biotic divergence caused by natural selection (PAVLÍČEK,
Mienis, Raz, Hassid, Rubenyan, Nevo, 2007/2008).

Cecilioides acicula (O. F. Müller, 1774).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecilioides_acicula#mediaviewer/File:Cecilioides_acicula.j
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Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 126 – June 2015