''Barbatia barbata'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of ark

clam Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve molluscs. The word is often applied only to those that are edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the seafloor or riverbeds. Clams have two she ...

, a

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

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 ...

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Arcidae, the ark clams.

Description

The shell of an adult ''Barbatia barbata'' can be as large as . The shape of the shell of this common species is quite variable. Usually it is oblong and flattened, with many radial ribs cut by concentric lines. When alive or fresh dead, the shell has a characteristic hairy dark

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 ...

(hence the Latin name ''barbata'', meaning "bearded"), covering the entire surface of the shell except for the apical part.

Distribution

This ark clam is found along the coasts of the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

, especially in Greece, Italy and Tunisia.

Habitat

This species lives on rocky or coralligenous (coral-bearing) seabed.

References

*Repetto G., Orlando F. & Arduino G. (2005) - Conchiglie del Mediterraneo - Published by Amici del Museo "Federico Eusebio", Alba, Italy
BiolibWoRMS

barbata Barbata (Bergamasque: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about east of Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, a ...

Bivalves described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Arcidae-stub