Big cockle

Big cockle
Big cockle ( Acanthocardia aculeata )
Systematics
Order : Cardiida Superfamily : Cardioidea Family : Cockles (Cardiidae) Subfamily : Cardiinae Genre : Acanthocardia Type : Big cockle
Scientific name
Acanthocardia aculeata
( Linnaeus , 1758)

The cockle ( Acanthocardia aculeata ) is a type of mussel from the order of the Cardiida . It is also referred to differently as the long-spiny cockle or, rarely, also as the prickly cockle . The latter name, however, is mainly used for the closely related species Acanthocardia echinata .

features

The cockle's shell, which has the same flaps, is 4 to 10 centimeters long. The surface is ornamented with 20 to 22 ribs, which are studded with sharp spikes. The spines are significantly larger and slimmer at the rear end than at the front end, where they are short and blunt. The shell is relatively thin for a cockle. The color is usually light brown to ocher brown; albino forms also occur. In the right flap, the lock has two cardinal teeth, two front posterior teeth and one posterior posterior tooth. In the left valve, the two cardinal teeth are of different sizes. The case gapes slightly at the rear end. The anterior and posterior sphincter muscles are approximately the same size (isomyar). The siphons are relatively short and the surface line is entire (integripalliat).

Distribution, way of life and occurrence

The range of the great cockle stretches from southern Norway to Morocco. It also penetrates into the Mediterranean and has its maximum distribution there. The species occurs from the intertidal zone to the continental shelf in over 100 m depth. It lives buried in sandy to silty soils near seagrass meadows.

Commercial importance

The cockle is mainly fished and eaten in the Mediterranean. The flaps are also used to make jewelry.

Taxonomy

The taxon was already described by Carl von Linné . It is now part of the genus Acanthocardia JE Gray, 1853.

supporting documents

literature

• Rosina Fechter and Gerhard Falkner: molluscs. 287 pp., Mosaik-Verlag, Munich 1990 (Steinbach's Nature Guide 10), ISBN 3-570-03414-3
• Guido Poppe and Yoshihiro Goto: European Seashells Volume 2 (Scaphopoda, Bivalvia, Cephalopoda) . 221 pp., Verlag Christa Hemmen, Wiesbaden 1993 (2000 unc. Reprint) ISBN 3-925919-10-4

On-line

• Marine Bivalve Shells of the British Isles: Acanthocardia aculeata (Linnaeus, 1758) (website of the National Museum Wales, Department of Natural Sciences, Cardiff)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Poppe and Goto, p. 93
2. ↑ MolluscaBase: Acanthocardia aculeata (Linnaeus, 1758)

Web links

Commons : Large cockle ( Acanthocardia aculeata )  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files

Commons : Acanthocardia aculeata  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Marine Life Information