Nucula sulcata Bronn, 1831
Nuculoidea : Nuculidae |
| Tebble name: | Nucula sulcata Bronn |
| Smith & Heppell name: | Nucula sulcata Bronn, 1831 |
To size: To 20mm. Shell Structure: Solid. Equivalve: Equivalve. Equilateral: Inequilateral, the beaks lie 28-30% of dorsal margin length from posterior. Tumidity: Moderately inflated. Outline: Ovate triangular: height of shell approximately 80% of length; antero-dorsal margin long, gently curved and sloping; postero-dorsal margin almost straight, moderately steeply sloping with angled junction at posterior margin; anterior, posterior and ventral margins all moderately rounded; escutcheon elongate heart-shaped, projecting (more so in smaller individuals), with poorly defined edges; lunule long, lanceolate with poorly defined edges, barely raised with transverse corrugations.
Sculpture: Decussate with well defined, closely spaced, raised concentric lines, and very slightly weaker, numerous, very fine, closely-spaced, radial riblets. Margin: Inner margin crenulate in correspondence to radial riblets. Ligament: Internal, opisthodetic, with the ligament seated in a well-developed, elongate triangular resilifer. A thin, barely visible, external ligament lies anterior to the beaks. Hinge: Taxodont: Broad and continuous hinge plate with a well-developed resilifer. Teeth long and pointed, usually 12-14 posterior and 24-29 anterior. A peg-like tooth lies to the posterior of the resilifer. Pallial Musculature: Pallial line continuous with no pallial sinus. Adductor muscle scars oval, more or less equal in size and indistinct. Periostracum: Relatively thick, matt surface, ranging from grey green or olive to dark brown, almost black, with a fine but distinct mesh-like structure. Shells often coated with deposits of manganese and hardened mud, particularly over the dorsal part of the shell. Umbos often eroded. Colour: White. Inside of shell nacreous.
Distribution & Ecology
North-east Atlantic, Mediterranean, west Africa. Lives in mud and silt, or sandy/gravel substrates with a high muddy element, mostly in depths ranging from 40-200m.
Depth Range
Continental Shelf (to 200m)
Additional Information & Related Species
Related Species
Nuculoidea : Nuculidae
References
Listed are literature citing Nucula sulcata Bronn, 1831. Reference containing the species Type Description is highlighted.
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Allen J A 1954. A comparative study of the British species of Nucula and Nuculana. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 33: 457-472. |
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Bronn H G 1831. Italiens Tertiär-Gebilde und deren organische Einschlüsse Heidelberg. 176pp, 1pl. |
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.
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