Boundaries

The Sinai Peninsula of Egypt is a land bridge between Southwest Asia and Africa. It is bounded by the Jordan River [438] and Coastal Levant [436] ecoregions to the east; Mediterranean Sea to the north; Suez Canal system to the west; and the Red Sea and its arms, the gulfs of Suez and Aqaba, to the south.

Topography

The ecoregion is mountainous in the south with a narrow coastal plain. Elevations rise to 2637 m around Mount St. Catherine, the highest mountain in Egypt. Nearby is Mount Sinai at 2285 m. This area is comprised of acid plutonic and volcanic rocks belonging to the Precambrian basement complex of the southern part of the Sinai Peninsula (El-Raouf et al. 1996). Elevations decline northward across the El-Tih Plateau, becoming lower with a wider coastal plain in the north where coastal lagoons develop.

Freshwater habitats

Wadis are subject to flash floods after rainstorms. There has been very little exploration for fishes in these freshwater habitats.

Terrestrial habitats

The Sinai is almost entirely rock desert in the center and east and sand desert in the north and southwest, with limited vegetation. There is some coastal irrigation in a narrow strip in the north.

Description of endemic fishes

There are no known endemics.

Other noteworthy fishes

The diversity of Palearctic invertebrate species at their southern range limit is relatively high in wadis and springs (Por and Dimentman 1989).

Justification for delineation

This ecoregion occupies an area apparently devoid of fishes between the richer areas of the Levant and Nile River basins.

Level of taxonomic exploration

Fair