Fig. 1

(A) The study organism, the grooved carpet clam Ruditapes decussatus (scale = 1 cm; the length between two successive long lines) and (B) Map showing the sampling site, El-Anfoshy Bay (red circle) in Alexandria city, Egypt, from which Ruditapes decussatus individuals were collected during October 2023. Small map (upper left corner) showing lower Egypt and the sampling site (red square)