Species Account

Ennucula corbuloides (Seguenza, 1877)

Nuculoidea : Nuculidae

Tebble name: n/a
Smith & Heppell name: Nuculoma corbuloides (Moller, 1842)

To size: To 3.5mm. Shell Structure: Relatively solid. Equivalve: Equivalve. Equilateral: Inequilateral, the beaks lie approximately 35-40% of dorsal margin length from posterior. Tumidity: Tumid. Outline: Rounded triangular: antero-dorsal margin slightly rounded and gently sloping; postero-dorsal margin very slightly rounded and steeply sloping; slight angled junction with posterior margin; anterior margin broadly rounded, ventral margin deeply rounded. escutcheon long, narrow, elliptical, barely raised, with moderately defined edges; lunule raised, long, broadly elliptical with moderately defined edges; Umbo prominent, relatively narrow, rounded, projecting above the dorsal margin.

Sculpture: Fine, well defined, closely spaced, raised concentric lines, increasing in prominence towards the outer margins. Prodissoconch smooth, prominent with defined margin, post-larval shell also smooth. Margin: Smooth. Ligament: Internal, opisthodetic, with a rounded triangular ligament seated in a well-developed resilifer. A thin, barely visible, external ligament lies anterior to the beaks. Hinge: Taxodont: Solid, continuous hinge plate, narrow below the beaks, broadening towards the anterior and posterior ends, with a well-developed rounded resilifer, which projects down from the hinge plate. Teeth robust, moderately long and blunt, usually 4-5 posterior and 7-8 anterior of the resilifer. Periostracum: Slightly glossy, straw-coloured, slightly iridescent. Prodissoconch and post-larval shell white. Colour: White to bluey grey, slightly nacreous. Inside of shell nacreous.

Distribution & Ecology

Found to the west of the UK in depths of 200-4000m from Rosemary Bank and south to Bay of Biscay.

Depth Range
Continental Margin Zone (200 - 500m)
Bathyal (500 - 2000m)
Abyssal Rise (2000 - 4000m)

Additional Information & Related Species

References

Listed are literature citing Ennucula corbuloides (Seguenza, 1877). Reference containing the species Type Description is highlighted.

La Perna R. 2003. The Quaternary deep-sea protobranch fauna from the Mediterranean: composition, depth-related distribution and changes. Bollettino Malacologico. 39 (1-4): 17-34.
Olabarria C. 2005. Patterns of bathymetric zonation of bivalves in the Porcupine Sea Bight and adjacent abyssal plain, NE Atlantic. Deep-Sea Research I. 52: 15-31.
Rhind P.M. & Allen J.A. 1992. Studies on the deep-sea Protobranchia (Bivalvia): the family Nuculidae. Bulletin of the British Museum of Natural History. 58 (1): 61-93.
Seguenza G 1877. Nuculidi terziare rinvenute nella provincia meridionali d’Italia. Memorie Accademia dei Lincei. Ser3, 1: 1163-1190.

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: 15/01/2014