Mercenaria mercenaria (Linnaeus, 1758)
Veneroidea : Veneridae | Non-native |
| Tebble name: | Venus (Mercenaria) mercenaria (Linnaeus) |
| Smith & Heppell name: | Mercenaria mercenaria (L., 1758) |
To size:
To 130mm.
Shell Structure:
Solid.
Equivalve:
Equivalve.
Equilateral:
Inequilateral. Beaks in front of midline.
Tumidity:
Rather tumid.
Outline:
Subovate. Long, steep posterior dorsal margin. Heart-shaped lunule, broad, protrusive, extends to most of the anterior dorsal margin and has radiating ridges. Escutcheon indistinct.
Sculpture:
Concentric lines which are raised into ridges at anterior and posterior.
Margin:
Ventral and anterior (up to umbo) margin finely crenulate.
Ligament:
Ligament is raised and extends to almost half of dorsal margin.
Hinge:
3 cardinals in each valve, in both valves centre and posterior bifid. No laterals. Region above posterior cardinals has rough appearance like a tooth has been broken off.
Pallial Musculature:
Muscle scars roughly equal: Posterior slightly fatter than Anterior. Pallial sinus shallow extends just to a 1/3rd of way to posterior, triangular.
Periostracum:
Thin, matt.
Colour:
Dirty white/grey/brown-grey occasionally with red-brown zigzags near margins.
Distribution & Ecology
Depth Range
Intertidal
Additional Information & Related Species
Related Species
Veneroidea : Veneridae
References
Listed are literature citing Mercenaria mercenaria (Linnaeus, 1758). Reference containing the species Type Description is highlighted.
|
Linnaeus C 1758. Systema Naturae. Editio decima. 1. Regnum Animale Holmiae, Laurentii Salvii. 824pp. |
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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