Species Account

Laevicardium crassum (Gmelin, 1791)

Cardioidea : Cardiidae

Tebble name: Laevicardium crassum (Gmelin)
Smith & Heppell name: Laevicardium crassum (Gmelin, 1791)

To size: To 75mm. Shell Structure: Solid. Equivalve: Equivalve. Equilateral: Inequilateral, beaks distinctly infront of midline. Tumidity: Slightly inflated. Outline: Obliquely oval, higher than long, posterior margin longer and less curved than anterior, ventral margin relatively straightened (crassum form). Outline proportionately narrower, ventral margin more rounded (gibba form). Contour: Smooth, posterior angle obsolete.

Sculpture: 40-50 faint and smooth radiating ribs most visible around ventral margins and on the posterior angle, posterior area smooth (crassum form). Ribs more prominent giving a little surface texture (gibba form). Margin: Fine crenulated corresponding to ribbing. Ligament: External, arched on a prominent nymph. Hinge: RV with 2 cardinals the anterior very much smaller; 2 anterior laterals the upper very small by comparison; 1 posterior lateral. LV with 2 cardinals the posterior very much smaller; single anterior and posterior laterals. Pallial Musculature: Indistinct, pallial line entire. Periostracum: Persistent, thin, olive brown in colour. Colour: Off white to straw, umbonal area and young shells mottled with pale pink. Internally white suffused with pink and/or yellow and occasionally overall brownish orange.

Distribution & Ecology

Widespread over the shelf.

Depth Range
Continental Shelf (to 200m)

Additional Information & Related Species

Additional Comments

Vidal (2005) formally recognised five subspecies within the Mediterranean-NE Atlantic complex of L. oblongum-crassum. We follow CLEMAM in not following Vidal and retain L. crassum for all specimens found in the area covered by this work. However, it is not difficult to allocate shells to two of the forms recognised by Vidal and we have described these as the crassa form and gibba form. The geographic ranges of the two forms overlap and we have no data on the habitat or bathymetirc ranges of the forms that suggest any degree of ecological separation.

Related Species

Cardioidea : Cardiidae

References

Listed are literature citing Laevicardium crassum (Gmelin, 1791). Reference containing the species Type Description is highlighted.

Gmelin J F 1791. Carli Linnaei systema Naturae per regna tria naturae. Editio decimatertia, aucta, reformata, Vermes Testacea 1 (6). Lipsiae. 3021-3910.
Vidal J. 2005. Problêmes taxonomiques du complexe Laevicardium oblongum-crassum (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Cardiidae). Novapex. 3: 1-42.

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.

Image Gallery

Laevicardium crassum (Gmelin, 1791)
Laevicardium crassum (Gmelin, 1791)
Laevicardium crassum (Gmelin, 1791)
Laevicardium crassum (Gmelin, 1791)
Laevicardium crassum (Gmelin, 1791)
Laevicardium crassum (Gmelin, 1791)
Record last modified: 15/01/2014