Prickly cockle
| Prickly cockle | ||||||||||||
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Prickly cockle ( Acanthocardia echinata ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Acanthocardia echinata | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The prickly cockle ( Acanthocardia echinata ) is a type of mussel from the order of the Cardiida .
features
The same-flattened, only slightly unequal-sided, inflated housing is fully grown to 75 mm high. The case is broadly ovoid in outline, somewhat longer than it is high. The anterior dorsal margin stands out clearly, the posterior dorsal margin is almost straight, especially in large specimens. The vortex is only slightly in front of the middle of the housing length.
The surface is heavily sculpted, the sculpture consists of 18 to 22 strong radial ribs. Each rib carries a series of short thorns that extend from the center line of the ribs. Near the vertebra, the thorns are triangular, close together, and give the ribs a serrated appearance. Further to the edge of the case, they are usually further apart and individually. In the front and middle part of the case the thorns are conical, the tips are bent backwards. In the back of the case, they are more triangular. They intersect with strong, concentric, wrinkled lines of growth that are most strongly developed in the spaces between the ribs. The edge of the case is strongly serrated, the serration coincides with the ribs and the spaces.
The external ligament , a raised, distinct ligament, sits on a distinct nymph. In the right valve there are two cardinal teeth, the rear of which is slightly larger than the anterior. There are also two anterior and one posterior lateral teeth. The left valve also has two cardinal teeth, as well as an anterior and a posterior lateral tooth. The surface line is not indented. The periostracum is thin, the color ranges from whitish, straw yellow to brown, often in alternating concentric bands. The shell is very firm.
Geographical distribution and habitat
The distribution area of the species extends from Iceland and Norway to the Iberian Peninsula and the Mediterranean.
The animals dig in sandy, silty and clayey gravelly sediments. They filter and feed on phytoplankton . They come from the shallow subtidal to about 200 meters water depth.
Taxonomy
The species was already described by Carl von Linné in 1758. It is now part of the genus Acanthocardia JE Gray, 1853.
supporting documents
literature
- Fritz Nordsieck: The European sea shells (Bivalvia). From the Arctic Ocean to Cape Verde, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. 256 pages, Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart 1969
- Guido Poppe and Yoshihiro Goto: European Seashells Volume 2 (Scaphopoda, Bivalvia, Cephalopoda) . 221 pp., Verlag Christa Hemmen, Wiesbaden 1993 (2000 unc. Reprint), ISBN 3925919104
- Rainer Willmann: Mussels and snails of the North and Baltic Seas. 310 pp., Neumann-Neudamm, Melsungen 1989, ISBN 3-7888-0555-2
On-line
Individual evidence
- ↑ Explanation of nymph with drawing ( memento of the original dated February 23, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ MolluscaBase: Acanthocardia echinata (Linnaeus, 1758)
