''Asperarca''
is a
genus of
bivalve
Bivalvia (), in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class of marine and freshwater molluscs that have laterally compressed bodies enclosed by a shell consisting of two hinged parts. As a group, bival ...
s in the
family Arcidae which currently consists of eight species. They attach themselves to rocks or hard substrates with
byssal threads in shallower, coastal waters. It was first described by Dr.
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in December 1898 with the type taxon ''A. nodulosa'' that has been recorded throughout the coastal
Mediterranean Sea,
Baltic Sea, and northeastern
Atlantic Ocean.
The earliest known species are ''A. acuta'' and ''A. microida'' which were found in 2014 in
Ukraine from the
Eocene Epoch.
Description
Shells in this genus are elongated and rectangular at about 6-32 millimeters in length. The hinged side of the shell is a straight line which curves into a rounded edge. One side of the hinge has 10-20 prominent teeth while the other has matching indentations. The
prodissoconch starts out rounded and nearly circular before stretching into a parallelogram with a distinct diagonal point on the far end of the adult shell. Some have described it as more of a trapezoid shape. Shells tend to have a tan or beige
periostracum
The periostracum ( ) is a thin, organic coating (or "skin") that is the outermost layer of the shell of many shelled animals, including molluscs and brachiopods. Among molluscs, it is primarily seen in snails and clams, i.e. in gastropods and ...
and are convex with the highest point just in front of the hinge.
Byssal threads extend from the hinge to attach shells to hard surfaces or substrates.
Species
* ''
Asperarca acuta
''Asperarca'' is a genus of bivalves in the Family (biology), family Ark clam, Arcidae which currently consists of eight species. They attach themselves to rocks or hard substrates with Byssus, byssal threads in shallower, coastal waters. It was ...
'' Berezovsky, 2014
* ''
Asperarca ectocomata'' (
Dall, 1886)
* ''
Asperarca magdalenae'' La Perna, 1998
* ''
Asperarca microida'' Berezovsky, 2014
* ''
Asperarca nodulosa
''Asperarca'' is a genus of bivalves in the Family (biology), family Ark clam, Arcidae which currently consists of eight species. They attach themselves to rocks or hard substrates with Byssus, byssal threads in shallower, coastal waters. It was ...
'' (
O. F. Müller
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* O (Cyrillic), a letter of the ...
, 1776)
* ''
Asperarca sagrinata'' (
Dall, 1886)
* ''
Asperarca secreta'' La Perna, 1998
* ''
Asperarca tarcylae'' Francisco, J. Barros, & S. Lima, 2012
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q10419921
Arcidae
Bivalve genera