The resurrection of Gibbula nivosa (Gastropoda: Trochidae)

Abstract

The rediscovery of Gibbula nivosa from two widely separated cobble beds in 2006, after some 25 years during which no living specimens had been found, suggested that such beds may be an important habitat for this species. Systematic sampling of cobble patches at 15 different locations resulted in the discovery of another three populations, confirming the importance of cobble accumulations as a habitat for this species, but also showing that while certainly not extinct, G. nivosa is still quite rare within the Maltese Islands. This, together with its very narrow geographical range, being endemic to Malta, renders G. nivosa highly vulnerable to extinction.