AP reports from Athens that a fan mussel found only in the Mediterranean was officially added to the list of critically endangered species after scientists recorded a dramatic decline in its population numbers caused by a newly discovered pathogen.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature said in a press statement this week that its updated Red List includes the noble pen shell, or Pinna nobilis, the Mediterranean’s largest mollusk. The pen shell, which can grow to more than a meter (3 feet) tall, contributes to clear water by filtering out organic particulates. For centuries it provided humans with food and one of the world’s rarest materials: sea silk spun from the fibers with which it secures itself to the seabed.
A protected species, the pen shell was already under pressure from pollution, illegal fishing, habitat loss, invasive species and climate change. “However, none of these threats have led to the extremely widespread and rapid population declines caused by the ongoing disease,” the IUCN noted.
The new pathogen first appeared in 2016 along the Spanish coast and has since spread across the Mediterranean, with an 80-100% death rate. Last year, when scientists found it had spread to Greek waters, they told The Associated Press the species was at risk of extinction.
Read more at thenationalherald.com
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