''Gigantidas'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of large, deepwater,
hydrothermal vent
A hydrothermal vent is a fissure on the seabed from which geothermally heated water discharges. They are commonly found near volcanically active places, areas where tectonic plates are moving apart at mid-ocean ridges, ocean basins, and hotspot ...
mussel
Mussel () is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and Freshwater bivalve, freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other ...
s,
marine
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Marine or marines may refer to:
Ocean
* Maritime (disambiguation)
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* ...
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 ...
mollusc
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 esti ...
s 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 ...
Mytilidae.
Distribution and habitat
Species in this genus are found on deep-sea
hydrothermal vents on the
southern Kermadec Ridge. These mussels form dense beds at these sites.
Description
The shells of ''
Gigantidas gladius'' are up to 30 cm long.
Species
Species within the genus ''Gigantidas'' include:
* ''
Gigantidas coseli''
Saether, Little, Campbell, Marshall, Collins & Alfaro, 2010
* ''
Gigantidas gladius''
Cosel & Marshall, 2003
* ''
Gigantidas horikoshi''
Hashimoto & Yamane, 2005
* ''
Gigantidas samario''
Cosel & Gracia, 2018
* ''
Gigantidas taiwanensis''
(Cosel, 2008)
* ''
Gigantidas tangaroa''
(Cosel & B. A. Marshall, 2003)
References
* Cosel R.von & Marshall B.A. 2003. Two new species of large mussels (Bivalvia: Mytilidae) from active submarine volcanoes and a cold seep off the eastern North Island of New Zealand, with description of a new genus. The Nautilus 117(2): 31-46
External links
hubaut, J., Puillandre, N., Faure, B., Cruaud, C. & Samadi, S. (2013). The contrasted evolutionary fates of deep-sea chemosynthetic mussels (Bivalvia, Bathymodiolinae). Ecology and Evolution
Bivalve genera
{{Mytilidae-stub