Biodiversity & Conservation

Rayed Artemis - Dosinia exoleta

Dosinia exoleta

Image National Museum Wales - External view of Dosinia exoleta valve. Image width ca 6 cm.
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Distribution map

Dosinia exoleta recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

Why do the maps differ?

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Dosinia exoleta is not listed under any importance categories.

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy Taxon English term
Phylum Mollusca Snails, slugs, mussels, cockles, clams & squid
Class Bivalvia Clams, cockles, mussels, oysters, and scallops
Authority Linnaeus, 1758
Recent synonyms None
Map icon Recorded Distribution in Britain and Ireland Common off the coasts of Britain and Ireland but there are no records from the south east coast of England.
Habitat information icon Habitat information This species burrows in muddy gravel or shell gravel on the lower shore to depths of about 100 m.
Text page icon Description The shell is solid and almost circular in shape overall. White, yellow-ish, or light brown in colour with irregular rays, streaks, or blotches of darker brown or pinkish brown. Can grow up to 6 cm in length. The umbones are small but distinct with the contour of the shell concave on one side of the umbo and convex on the other. When closed the valves form a heartshaped lunule situated in front of the beaks and recognisable from the rest of the shell due to the change in sculpture which exhibits very fine radiating ridges.
Identifying features
  • The shell is almost circular in shape overall.
  • The shell surface is marked with very fine concentric ridges.
  • Can grow up to 6 cm in length.
  • White, yellow or light brown in colour with dark brown or pinkish brown irregular rays, streaks or blotches.
Additional information icon Additional information This species is also known as the rayed Artemis and is very similar to the smooth Artemis Dosinia lupinus. The smooth Artemis has more concentric ridges than the rayed Artemis and as the name suggests, a smoother shell. Dosinia exoleta is slightly larger than Dosinia lupinusand the anterior margin of its shell is more arched.

This review can be cited as follows:

Michelle Carter 2005. Dosinia exoleta. Rayed Artemis. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 26/05/2013]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesinformation.php?speciesID=3198>