Species Account

Abra nitida (Müller, 1776)

Tellinoidea : Semelidae

Tebble name: Abra nitida (Müller)
Smith & Heppell name: Abra nitida (Müller, 1776)

To size: To 13mm. Shell Structure: Thin, fragile. Equivalve: Almost equivalve. Equilateral: Inequilateral, beaks to the posterior. Tumidity: Not tumid. Outline: Ovate, posterior dorsal margin short, angular giving posterior slight beak-like appearance. Anterior broadly curved.

Sculpture: Fine concentric lines. Margin: Smooth. Ligament: External small brown, arched band, internal ligament in a small elongated, spoon-shaped chondrophore. Hinge: LV one small cardinal and single weak laterals; RV two cardinals and single laterals. Pallial Musculature: Quite deep ends midway between anterior adductor and beak. Cruciform muscle scars visible in some specimens. Periostracum: Very thin. Colour: Pearlescent white.

Distribution & Ecology

Lives in a wide range of substrates in mud to muddy sand and muddy gravel.

Distributed all around the coasts of Britain and Ireland, occurring from the lower shore to the shelf edge.

Depth Range
Intertidal
Continental Shelf (to 200m)

Additional Information & Related Species

References

Listed are literature citing Abra nitida (Müller, 1776). Reference containing the species Type Description is highlighted.

Allen J A & Sanders H L 1966. Adaptations to abyssal life as shown by the bivalve Abra profundorum (Smith). Deep Sea Research and Oceanographic Abstracts. 13: 1175-1178.
Müller O F 1776. Zoologiae Danicae Prodromus, seu Animalium Daniae et Norvegiae Indigenarum, characteres, nomina, et synonyma imprimis popularum Havniae (Copenhagen): Typis Hallageriis. 281pp.

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: 22/03/2016