Biodiversity & Conservation

Smooth Artemis - Dosinia lupinus

Dosinia lupinus

Image Hilmar Hinz - The smooth Artemis Dosinia lupinus on a black background. Image with ca XX cm.
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Distribution map

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

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Dosinia lupinus 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 Widely distributed around British coasts, except in the south east, and found around Irish coasts.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Dosinia lupinus occurs on shores of varying wave exposure where it burrows deeply into soft sediments that include fine or coarse sand, sand and mud mixtures or shell gravel. It is found on the lower shore and sublittorally to a depth of about 120 m.
Text page icon Description Dosinia lupinus is a bivalve with a solid shell that is almost circular in outline, moderately concave and grows to a maximum of about 4 cm in diameter. Both valves are similar in shape and colour (equivalve).The prominent beak at the hinge points to the right and is slightly anterior to the mid line (inequilateral). The shell is off-white, fawn or light brown in colour with a sculpture of fine concentric lines on the outside. It is glossy white on the inside and the line joining the two adductor muscle scars (pallial line) has a deep U-shaped indentation (pallial sinus).
Identifying features
  • Solid, almost circular bivalve up to 4 cm in diameter.
  • Fine concentric ridges.
  • Off-white, fawn or brown in colour.
  • Inner surface white and glossy.
  • Inner margins of shell smooth.
  • 3 small teeth on the inner surface of each shell just below the hinge.
  • The line joining the two adductor muscle scars has a marked U-shaped indentation.
Additional information icon Additional information Dosinia lupinus is very similar to the rayed Artemis, Dosinia exoleta. They can be distinguished by the fine detail of the shell around the hinge area (Hayward et al., 1996).

This review can be cited as follows:

Penny Avant 2006. Dosinia lupinus. Smooth Artemis. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 19/06/2013]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesinformation.php?speciesID=3199>