Biodiversity & Conservation

A bivalve mollusc - Spisula elliptica

Spisula elliptica

Image National Museum Wales - External view of Spisula elliptica valve. Image width ca 3 cm.
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Distribution map

Spisula elliptica recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

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Spisula elliptica 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 (Brown, 1827)
Recent synonyms None
Map icon Recorded Distribution in Britain and Ireland Common around most coasts of Britain and Ireland.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Common in mixed soft substrata offshore to approximately 100 m.
Text page icon Description A broadly oval shell, equilateral with fine concentric grooves and clear growth stages, which can reach up to 3 cm in length. The umbones are midline and turned inwards and slightly forwards. The shell is a dirty white with a brown or greeny brown periostracum. The fused cardinal teeth of the left valve form a distinctive A-shape that extends more than half way down the hinge plate. The lateral cardinal teeth have distinct serrations along their interlocking faces.
Identifying features
  • The shell is broadly oval and up to 3 cm in length.
  • The valves have fine concentric grooves and clear growth stages.
  • The shell is dirty white with a greeny brown periostracum.
  • The cardinal teeth of the left valve form a distinctive A-shape.
Additional information icon Additional information No text entered.

This review can be cited as follows:

Susie Ballerstedt 2005. Spisula elliptica. A bivalve mollusc. 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=4362>