Northern moon shell
| Northern moon shell | ||||||||||||
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Northern moon shell ( Lucinoma borealis ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Lucinoma borealis | ||||||||||||
| Linnaeus , 1767 |
The northern moon mussel ( Lucinoma borealis ) is a type of mussel from the family of the moon mussels (Lucinidae) in the order of the Lucinida . It also occurs in the North Sea.
features
The flared, inflated case is round in outline and measures around 4 cm in diameter. It is slightly wider than it is tall; the length to height ratio is about 1.1. It is only slightly unequal, the comparatively small vertebrae are arched forward (prosogyr) and are located in front of the center line of the housing. The posterior dorsal margin is slightly convex and merges into a somewhat truncated posterior margin. A sulcus extends from the vertebra to the posterior end of the ventral margin. The lower, anterior dorsal margin is concave and merges at an angle into the anterior margin. The ventral margin is deeply rounded.
The lunula is short, flat and very slender. The brownish ligament is a long band from the posterior dorsal margin that extends almost to the posterior margin of the housing. The lock has two cardinal teeth in both flaps; the anterior cardinal tooth of the left valve and the posterior cardinal tooth of the right valve are split and two-pointed. The lateral teeth, one anterior and one posterior in each valve, are greatly reduced. The anterior sphincter is greatly elongated and runs parallel to the surface line; the posterior sphincter is significantly shorter. The jacket edge is integripalliat (without jacket bay).
The whitish shell is thick-walled and firm. The surface is provided with fine, sharp, concentric ribs at somewhat irregular intervals. The periostracum is a thin, membranous, brown coating. The inner edge of the case is smooth.
Geographical distribution, habitat and way of life
Lucinoma borealis occurs in the Atlantic from Norway to the height of Morocco. It also penetrates the North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea and is also widespread around the Cape Verde Islands and the Azores .
It lives in its range on silty-sandy soils from shallow water to a depth of 1500 m. The species has been around since the Pliocene .
Lucinoma borealis lives buried in the ground. If it is exposed, it can be buried again very quickly. In front of the front end of the housing, she builds a tube with the help of her foot, which is lined with mucus and thereby stabilized. Oxygen-rich water is conveyed to the animal through this tube; and diverted back again. The gills are quite large and contain special cells in which sulphide-oxidizing bacteria ( Gammaproteobacteria ) are grown, on which it mainly feeds. This greatly simplifies the stomach.
Taxonomy
The taxon was first described by Carl von Linné in 1767 as Venus borealis . The species is now generally accepted as part of the genus Lucinoma Dall, 1901.
supporting documents
literature
- Fritz Gosselck, Alexander Darr, Jürgen HJ Jungbluth, Michael Zettler: common names for mollusks of the sea and brackish water in Germany. Mollusca, 27 (1): 3-32, 2009 PDF (p. 24)
- Fritz Nordsieck : The European seashells: From the Arctic Ocean to Cape Verde, the Mediterranean Sea and the like. Black Sea. 256 p., Stuttgart, G. Fischer 1969 (p. 82).
- Rainer Willmann: Mussels of the North and Baltic Seas. Neumann-Neudamm, Melsungen 1989 ISBN 3-7888-0555-2 (p. 116/7)
On-line
- Marine Bivalve Shells of the British Isles: Lucinoma borealis (Linnaeus, 1767) (site of the National Museum Wales, Department of Natural Sciences, Cardiff)
- Marine Species Identification Portal: Lucinoma borealis (Linnaeus, 1767)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Carl von Linné: Systema naturae, Tom. I. Pars II. Editio duodecima reformata. P. 533–1327, Stockholm / Holmia, Salvius, 1767 Online at www.biodiversitylibrary.org (P. 1134)
- ↑ MolluscaBase: Lucinoma borealis (Linnaeus, 1767)
