ABSTRACT
In the Isca submarine cave of the Sorrento Peninsula, the brachiopod species Neocrania anomala, Megathiris detruncata, Argyrotheca cordata and A. cuneata, have been observed. From July 1991 to June 2000 population analyses were carried out on N. anomala and growth assessments made on several specimens by means of photographic surveys of delimited areas on the cave wall. In the particularly protected cave environment, the population of N. anomala remained virtually unchanged throughout the 10 years of observation. Their growth rate, based on the increase of shell areas, is very low. The analysis of their growth shows that these organisms might live more than 40 years.
