Species Account

Ensis minor (Chenu, 1843)

Solenoidea : Pharidae

Tebble name: n/a
Smith & Heppell name: Ensis siliqua var. minor (Chenu, 1843)

To size: To 150mm. Shell Structure: Brittle. Equivalve: Equivalve. Equilateral: Inequilateral, beaks at the anterior end. Outline: Ensiform, dorsal and ventral margins straight, parallel; Anterior and posterior truncate. Posterior compressed, posterior gape lozenge-shaped in cross section.

Sculpture: Of co-marginal lines and growth stops. Margin: Inner margin smooth. Ligament: External, a long narrow brown/black band behind the beaks. Hinge: LV with two rather bulbous cardinals and two laminar posterior laterals, one lying above the other; RV with a single laminar cardinal and a single posterior lateral. Pallial Musculature: Pallial sinus U-shaped, separation of posterior adductor scar and pallial sinus equal to or slightly less than length of adductor scar. Anterior adductor scar exceeding length of ligament; pedal retractor muscle close to end of ligament. Periostracum: Greenish becoming darker and brown at the margins. Colour: Dirty white, cream, grayish some banded reddish brown.

Distribution & Ecology

Due to the uncertain status of this species and difficulty in separating it from E. siliqua the actual distribution is uncertain. It has the same habits as E. siliqua, burrowing in sand from the low intertidal to nearshore shelf depths. It is reported from a few localities on the east coast of England and Scotland. We have shells identified by Rudo von Cosel from the Firth of Forth. It was originally described from the Mediterranean and we have shells from the Atlantic coast of France.

Depth Range
Intertidal
Continental Shelf (to 200m)

Additional Information & Related Species

Related Species

Solenoidea : Pharidae

References

Listed are literature citing Ensis minor (Chenu, 1843). Reference containing the species Type Description is highlighted.

Chenu J C 1843. Illustrations conchyliogiques, ou description et figures de toutes les coquilles connues vivant et fossiles Paris, Franck.

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

Ensis minor (Chenu, 1843)
Ensis minor (Chenu, 1843)
Ensis minor (Chenu, 1843)
Ensis minor (Chenu, 1843)
Record last modified: 22/03/2016