''Laevicardium crassum'', the Norwegian egg cockle, is a species of saltwater clam, a cockle, 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Cardiidae A cockle is an edible marine bivalve mollusc. Although many small edible bivalves are loosely called cockles, true cockles are species in the family Cardiidae. MolluscaBase eds. (2022). MolluscaBase. Cardiidae Lamarck, 1809. Accessed through: W ...

, the cockles.WoRMS
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Fossil record

Fossils of ''Laevicardium crassum'' are found in marine strata of the

Quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). It follows the Neogene Period and spans from 2.58 million years ...

(age range: from 0.126 to 0.012 million years ago.). Fossils are known from various localities in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

.Paleontology Database
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Description

Shell of ''Laevicardium crassum'' can reach a length of about . The shell exterior is white or light yellow with occasional dark markings. The shell surface is smooth and shows 40-50 ribs with a crenulated margin.
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Right and left valve of the same specimen: File:Laevicardium crassum 01.jpg, Right valve File:Laevicardium crassum 02.jpg, Left valve

Distribution

This species is present in Northeast Atlantic and the Mediterranean, at depths of 9 to 200 m.

Bibliography

* Gmelin, J.F., 1788-1793. In: Linné, C., Systema naturae, Edit. 13 aucta et reformata cura J.F. Gmelin. 10 vols, Lipsiae. 1788-1793 et Lugduni, 1789-1796. -1,6,

References

Cardiidae Bivalves described in 1791 Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Gmelin {{bivalve-stub