Nucula Libera

''Nucula'' is a genus of very small saltwater clams. They are part of the family Nuculidae.

Fossil records

This genus is very ancient. Fossils are known from the Arenig to the Quaternary (age range: from 478.6 to 0.0 million years ago). Fossils are found in the marine strata all over the world.

Description

Shells of species within this genus can reach a size of about . They are equivalve, symmetrical, approximately triangular. The surface has fine concentric growth lines. These clams live in the muddy sand close to the sediment surface at a depth of 20 to 200 meters.

Species

Nowadays there are still many species of this genus, which have had virtually no change in the course of time. Species within the genus ''Nucula'' include:WoRMS
/ref>

* ''Nucula annulata'' Hampson, 1971
* '' Nucula atacellana'' Schenck, 1939 - cancellate nutclam
* ''Nucula austrobenthalis'' Dell, 1990
* ''Nucula beachportensis'' Verco, 1907
* ''Nucula benguelana'' (A. H. Clarke, 1961)
* ''Nucula brasiliana'' Esteves, 1984
* ''Nucula calcicola'' Moore, 1977 - reef nutclam
* ''Nucula callicredemna'' Dall, 1890
* ''Nucula cancellata'' Meek & Hayden, 1856
* ''Nucula cardara'' Dall, 1916
* ''Nucula carlottensis'' Dall, 1897 - Charlotte nutclam
* ''Nucula certisinus'' Finlay, 1930
* ''Nucula chrysocome''
* ''Nucula consentanea'' Melvill & Standen, 1907
* ''Nucula covra'' Bergmans, 1978
* ''Nucula crassicostata'' E. A. Smith, 1872
* ''Nucula crassidens'' Nicklès, 1955
* ''Nucula crenulata'' A. Adams, 1856 - crenulate nutclam
* '' Nucula crystallina'' Poppe, Tagaro & Stahlschmidt, 2015
* '' Nucula culebrensis'' E. A. Smith, 1885
* ''Nucula cymella'' Dall, 1886
* '' Nucula darella'' Dall, 1916
* '' Nucula declivis'' Hinds, 1843
* '' Nucula delphinodonta'' Mighels & C. B. Adams, 1842 - dolphintooth nutclam
* '' Nucula distincta'' Turton, 1932
* ''Nucula donaciformis'' E. A. Smith, 1895
* '' Nucula dorsocrenata'' (Habe, 1977)
* ''Nucula dunedinensis'' Finlay, 1928
* ''Nucula exigua'' G. B. Sowerby I, 1833 - iridescent nutclam, short nutclam
* '' Nucula exodonta'' Prashad, 1932
* '' Nucula faba'' Xu, 1999
* '' Nucula falklandica'' Preston, 1912
* ''Nucula fernandensis'' Villarroel, 1971
* '' Nucula fernandinae'' Dall, 1927
* '' Nucula gallinacea'' Finlay, 1930
* ''Nucula granulosa'' Verrill, 1884
* '' Nucula groenlandica'' Posselt, 1898 - Greenland nutclam
* ''Nucula hanleyi'' Winckworth, 1931
* '' Nucula hartvigiana'' Dohrn, 1864
* ''Nucula hawaiensis'' Pilsbry, 1921
* ''Nucula inconspicua'' H. Adams, 1871
* '' Nucula insignis'' (Hayami & Kase, 1993)
* '' Nucula interflucta'' Marincovich, 1973
* ''Nucula iphigenia'' Dall, 1896
* '' Nucula irregularis'' G. B. Sowerby III, 1904
* '' Nucula izushotoensis'' (Okutani, 1966)
* '' Nucula kanaka'' Bergmans, 1991
* '' Nucula kerguelensis'' Thiele, 1912
* '' Nucula libera'' Bergmans, 1991
* ''Nucula malabarica'' Hanley, 1860
* '' Nucula mariae'' Nolf, 2005
* ''Nucula marmorea'' Hinds, 1843
* ''Nucula marshalli'' Schenck, 1939
* '' Nucula mayi'' (Iredale, 1930)
* '' Nucula mesembrina'' (Hedley, 1916)
* '' Nucula mitralis'' Hinds, 1843
* '' Nucula multidentata'' Prashad, 1933
* '' Nucula nicklesi'' Cosel, 1995
* '' Nucula nitidosa'' Winckworth, 1930 (unaccepted name: '' Nucula turgida'' Leckenby & Marshall, 1875)
* '' Nucula nitidula'' A. Adams, 1856
* '' Nucula nitidulaformis'' Powell, 1971
* '' Nucula notobenthalis'' Thiele, 1912
* ''Nucula nucleus'' ( Linnaeus, 1758)
* '' Nucula oppressa'' Bergmans, 1991
* ''Nucula papillifera'' Thiele & Jaeckel, 1931
* '' Nucula paulula'' A. Adams, 1856
* ''Nucula percrassa'' (Conrad, 1858 )
* ''Nucula pisum'' G. B. Sowerby I, 1833
* ''Nucula planiculmen'' Kilburn, 1999
* ''Nucula praetenta'' Iredale, 1924
* ''Nucula profundorum'' E. A. Smith, 1885
* '' Nucula proxima'' Say, 1822 - Atlantic nutclam
* ''Nucula pseudoexigua'' Villarroel & Stuardo, 1998
* ''Nucula pusilla'' Angas, 1877
* '' Nucula recens'' Dell, 1956
* '' Nucula revei'' Bergmans, 1978
* '' Nucula rhytidopleura'' Kilburn, 1999
* '' Nucula rossiana'' Finlay, 1930
* '' Nucula rugulosa'' G. B. Sowerby I, 1833
* '' Nucula saltator'' (Iredale, 1939)
* '' Nucula schencki'' Hertlein & Strong, 1940
* '' Nucula sculpturata'' G. B. Sowerby III, 1904
* ''Nucula semen'' Thiele & Jaeckel, 1931
* ''Nucula semiornata'' d'Orbigny, 1842
* '' Nucula sericea'' Thiele & Jaeckel, 1931
* '' Nucula striolata'' A. Adams, 1856
* '' Nucula suahelica'' (Thiele & Jaeckel, 1931)
* '' Nucula subluxa'' Kilburn, 1999
* ''Nucula subovata'' Verrill & Bush, 1898
* ''Nucula sulcata'' Bronn, 1831
* ''Nucula sultana'' Thiele & Jaeckel, 1931
* '' Nucula surinamensis'' Van Regteren Altena, 1968
* '' Nucula tamatavica'' Odhner, 1943
* ''Nucula tenuis'' (Montagu, 1808)
* '' Nucula tersior'' Marwick, 1929 †
* '' Nucula thielei'' Schenck, 1939
* ''Nucula tokyoensis'' Yokoyama, 1920
* '' Nucula torresi'' E. A. Smith, 1885
* '' Nucula trigonica'' Lan & Lee, 2001
* '' Nucula tumidula'' (Malm, 1860)
* '' Nucula venezuelana'' Weisbord, 1964
* ''Nucula vincentiana'' (Cotton & Godfrey, 1938)
* '' Nucula zophos'' A. H. Clark, 1960

Extinct species

Extinct species within the genus ''Nucula'' include:Fossilworks
/ref>

*'' N. alcocki'' † Noetling 1895
*'' N. andersoni'' † Clark & Durham 1946
*'' N. assiniboiensis'' † Russell & Landes 1937
*'' N. athabaskensis'' † McLearn 1931
*'' N. brewsterensis'' † Hassan 1953
*'' N. cancellata'' † Meek & Hayden 1857
*'' N. cancellata'' † Vredenburg 1928
*'' N. catalina'' † Olsson 1930
*'' N. chrysocoma'' † Dall 1908
*'' N. cilleborgensis'' † Ravn 1907
*'' N. concinna'' † Sowerby 1836
*'' N. cossmanni'' † Vincent 1892
*'' N. costaeimbricatus'' † Newton 1922
*'' N. crepida'' † Marwick 1931
*'' N. cunifrons'' † Conrad 1860
*'' N. domandaensis'' † Eames 1951
*'' N. gabbiana'' † Dickerson 1916
*'' N. greppina'' † Deshayes 1858
*'' N. major'' † Richards 1944
*'' N. mancorensis'' † Olsson 1931
*'' N. martini'' † Finlay 1927
*'' N. micheleae'' † Marincovich jr. 1993
*'' N. morundiana'' † Tate 1886
*'' N. narica'' † Vredenburg 1928
*'' N. nejdensis'' † Abbass 1972
*'' N. njalindugensis'' † Martin 1919
*'' N. observatoria'' † Ihering 1907
*'' N. orbicella'' † Olsson 1922
*'' N. paboensis'' † Olsson 1931
*'' N. paytensis'' † Adams 1856
*'' N. piacentina'' † Lamarck
*'' N. pilkeyi'' † Ward & Blackwelder 1987
*'' N. planimarginata'' † Meek & Hayden 1857
*'' N. praemissa'' † Semper 1861
*'' N. prunicola'' † Dall 1898
*'' N. rembangensis'' † Martin 1919
*'' N. reticularis'' † Ortmann 1900
*'' N. sedanensis'' † Haanstra & Spiker 1932
*'' N. semistriata'' † Tate 1886
*'' N. shaleri'' † Dall 1894
*'' N. sinaria'' † Dall 1898
*'' N. stantoni'' † Stephenson 1923
*'' N. studeri'' † d'Archiac 1850
*'' N. subrotundata'' † Morningstar 1922
*'' N. subtransversa'' † Nyst 1844
*'' N. suprastriata'' † Arnold 1903
*'' N. tallahalaensis'' † Dockery 1982
*'' N. taphria'' † Dall 1898
*'' N. tatriana'' † King 1850
*'' N. tersior'' † Marwick 1929
*'' N. tumida'' † Tenison Woods 1877
*'' N. turgens'' † Wood 1879
*'' N. venezuelana'' † Weisbord 1964
*'' N. ventricosa'' † Hall 1868
*'' N. vestigia'' † Marwick 1929
*'' N. vicksburgensis'' † Conrad 1848
*'' N. waikuraensis'' † Marwick 1931
*'' N. washingtonensis'' † Weaver 1916

References

* Powell A. W. B., ''New Zealand Mollusca'', William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979

{{Taxonbar, from=Q127873

Nuculidae
Extant Ordovician first appearances
Paleozoic life of Alberta
Paleozoic life of the Northwest Territories
Paleozoic life of Nova Scotia
Paleozoic life of Nunavut
Paleozoic life of Ontario
Paleozoic life of Quebec
Paleozoic life of Yukon
Bivalve genera
Taxa described in 1799
Taxa named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck