Species Account

Cerastoderma glaucum (Bruguière, 1789)

Cardioidea : Cardiidae

Tebble name: Cerastoderma lamarcki (Reeve)
Smith & Heppell name: Cerastoderma glaucum (Poiret, 1789)

To size: To 45mm. Shell Structure: Rather thin, brittle. Equivalve: Equivalve. Equilateral: Slightly inequilateral, beaks a little to the front of midline. Tumidity: Moderately tumid. Outline: Subquadrate rounded, tending to become posteriorly extended, longer than high. Contour: Umbo pronounced. Ventral profile (viewed from the side) sharp.

Sculpture: 22-28 radial ribs, rounded profile over anterior and median areas, becoming a little angular on posterior slope and low to obsolete on posterior area. Interspaces distinct, as wide as ribs. Anterior and median ribs with closely spaced, thin dorsally directed cross bars, these becoming obsolete with age and weak or absent posteriorly. Margin: Weakly crenulate, ribs visible internally extending into the umbonal cavity. Ligament: External scarcely or not visible from a lateral view. Hinge: Relatively weak, RV with 2 cardinals and paired anterior and posterior laterals; LV with 2 cardinals and single anterior and posterior laterals. Pallial Musculature: Pallial line entire, adductor scars rounded of approximate equal size. Periostracum: Often persistent, greenish brown in colour. Colour: Externally yellowish to greenish brown; some with brownish concentric bands and often brownish over posterior area. Internally white with a usually extensive brown area over the posterior with this covering the whole of the inner region in some populations.

Distribution & Ecology

Sporadic on southern and western coasts where suitable brackish biotopes exist. NBN Firth of Forth and Northumberland records doubtful.

Depth Range
Intertidal
Continental Shelf (to 200m)

Additional Information & Related Species

Additional Comments

The distinctions between C. glaucum and C. edule are initially confusing as the different populations of C. glaucum can be quite variable in shape, colour and presence of rib sculpture. For the majority of the British and Irish populations the relatively small ligament (not visible from a lateral view), the thin brittle shell, the posterior prolongation and weak posterior ribbing are distinctive.

Related Species

References

Listed are literature citing Cerastoderma glaucum (Bruguière, 1789). Reference containing the species Type Description is highlighted.

Brock V & Christiansen G 1989. Evolution of Cardium (Cerastoderma) edule, C. lamarcki and C. glaucum: studies of DNA-variation. Marine Biology. 102: 505-511.
Jelnes J.E., Høpner Petersen G. & Russell P.J.C. 1971. Isozyme taxonomy applied on four species of Cardium from Danish and British waters with a short description of the distribution of the species. (Bivalvia). Ophelia. 9: 15-19.
Poiret 1789. Voyage en Barbarie ou lettres écrites de l'ancienne Numidie, pendant les années 1785 & 1786, sur la religion et les coutumes & les mœurs des Maures & des Arabes-Bédouins; avec un essai sur l'Histoire Naturelle de ce pays. Seconde partie: Recherches sur l'Histoire Naturelle de la Numidie. Suite du Règne Animal J.B.F. Née de La Rochelle, Paris. 315pp.

Resources

  • Conchological Society of Great Britain & Ireland
    Provides resources for understanding, identifying, recording, and conserving molluscs
  • CLEMAM
    Check List of European Marine Mollusca
  • MarLIN
    The Marine Life Information Network for Britain and Ireland (MarLIN) provides information for marine environmental management, protection and education. It is a centre of excellence in spatially based and time-series marine biological information and supports good stewardship in the marine environment.
  • NBN Gateway
    National Biodiversity Network's Gateway. Use it to explore UK biodiversity data, as contributed by participating data providers.
  • BivAToL
  • MarBEF
  • Malacological Society
  • Unitas Malacologica
  • Census of Marine Life
  • MarBEF
    MarBEF, a network of excellence funded by the European Union and consisting of 94 European marine institutes, is a platform to integrate and disseminate knowledge and expertise on marine biodiversity, with links to researchers, industry, stakeholders and the general public.

Record last modified: 17/05/2016