Limatula hodgsoni

Limatula hodgsoni is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Limidae, the file shells or file clams. It is native to the seas around Antarctica.

Limatula hodgsoni
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Limida
Family: Limidae
Genus: Limatula
Species:
L. hodgsoni
Binomial name
Limatula hodgsoni
(E. A. Smith, 1907) [1]
Synonyms
  • Lima hodgsoni E. A. Smith, 1907
  • Limatula (Antarctolima) hodgsoni (E. A. Smith, 1907)
  • Limatula closei Hedley, 1916

Description

Limatula hodgsoni grows to a length of 27 mm (1.1 in), a height of 35 mm (1.4 in) and a diameter of 20 mm (0.8 in). The shell is white, oblong, thin, narrow above and somewhat convex; the posterior side is less curved than the anterior. The umbones are central and the ligament area is narrow and diamond-shaped. The valves are sculpted by 30 to 35 squamate ribs separated by grooves slightly narrower than the ribs. The ribs are finely marked by the annual growth lines.[2]

Distribution

Limatula hodgsoni is found on the seabed of the waters around Antarctica at depths down to at least 769 m (2,500 ft).[2] It is very common in the zone deeper than 33 m (110 ft) which is the lower limit for anchor ice formation. In some areas, this zone is characterised by a layer of sponge spicules and dead mollusc shells a metre or more thick, overgrown by living sponges. This matrix is a biodiverse habitat rich in sea anemones, polychaete worms, hydroids, bryozoans and molluscs.[3] Limatula hodgsoni is the most abundant bivalve mollusc in this habitat and is preyed on by the starfishes Odontaster validus and Diplasterias brucei.[4]

References
  1. Bouchet, Philippe (2013). "Limatula hodgsoni (E. A. Smith, 1907)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  2. "Limatula (Antarctolima) hodgsoni (Smith, 1907)". Antarctic Invertebrates. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  3. Advances in Marine Biology. Academic Press. 1972. p. 149. ISBN 978-0-08-057933-7.
  4. Knox, George A. (2006). Biology of the Southern Ocean, Second Edition. CRC Press. p. 291. ISBN 978-1-4200-0513-4.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.