Species Account

Astarte crebricostata Macandrew & Forbes, 1847

Crassatelloidea : Astartidae

Tebble name: n/a
Smith & Heppell name: Astarte crebricostata Forbes, 1847

To size: To 35mm. Shell Structure: Solid. Equivalve: Equivalve. Equilateral: Slightly inequilateral, beaks just in front of midline. Tumidity: A little compressed. Outline: Subovate to subelliptical, slightly trigonal but beaks mostly eroded. Dorsal margins sloping steeply, lunule and escutceon well developed both rather narrow. Anterior a little more pointed than posterior.

Sculpture: Of 25-35 co-marginal ribs, these with steep edges and rather flattened dorsally. Ribs may become weaker at the margins and over the posterior area. Margin: Inner margin crenulate (may not be consistent). Ligament: External, rather short on a small nymph behind the beaks. Hinge: LV with 3 cardinal teeth, the posterior thin, a "lateral" flange and groove are present above the posterior adductor scar; a small "lateral" ridge is present above the anterior adductor scar. RV with 2 cardinal teeth, a posterior "lateral" flange and an anterior "lateral" groove. Pallial Musculature: Pallial line entire; adductor scars large of equal size. Periostracum: Persistent, olive brown to almost black. Co-marginally wrinkled and micro-punctate. Colour: Shell white.

Distribution & Ecology

A northern species found only in the north of the study area in the Shetland islands, Faroes, Iceland and Norway to shelf depths.


Depth Range
Continental Shelf (to 200m)

Additional Information & Related Species

Additional Comments

Jensen (1912) and Ockelmann (1958) considered A. crebricostata to be a subspecies of A. crenata. The material of both species that we have examined share the wrinkled periostracum and overall appearance. The slight differences in outline and nature of the inner margin are not conclusive but we retain them as separate (following CLEMAM) until further research is done.

Related Species

References

Listed are literature citing Astarte crebricostata Macandrew & Forbes, 1847. Reference containing the species Type Description is highlighted.

Høpner Petersen G. 2001. Studies on some Arctic and Baltic Astarte species (Bivalvia, Mollusca). Bioscience. 52: 1-71.
Macandrew R & Forbes E 1847. Notices of new or rare British animals observed during cruises in 1845 and 1846. Annals and magazine of natural History. 19: 96-98, pl 9.

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

Record last modified: 17/05/2016