[en] The thaliacean faunas of the Mediterranean and of the Red Sea have been compared from the point of view of origin and composition.
In the Mediterranean, the species are either very or moderately eurytherm, and true intertropical species are completely lacking, even in the eastern basin where rather severe climatic conditions prevail.
In the Red Sea, wich opens into the warmest region of the Indian Ocean, most species are tropical.
The only species common to both seas have a world-wide distribution.
The Suez Canal, wich connects the Red Sea and the Levant basin of the Mediterranean, might allow in the future the invasion of the latter by indo-pacific species.