Limatula hodgsoni
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Limida
Family: Limidae
Genus: Limatula
Species:
L. hodgsoni
Binomial name
Limatula hodgsoni
(E. A. Smith, 1907) [1]
Synonyms
  • Lima hodgsoni E. A. Smith, 1907
  • Limatula (Antarctolima) hodgsoni (E. A. Smith, 1907)
  • Limatula closei Hedley, 1916

Limatula hodgsoni is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Limidae, the file shells or file clams. It is native to the seas around Antarctica.

Description

Limatula hodgsoni grows to a length of 27 mm (1.1 in), a height of 35 mm (1.4 in) and a diameter of 20 mm (0.8 in). The shell is white, oblong, thin, narrow above and somewhat convex; the posterior side is less curved than the anterior. The umbones are central and the ligament area is narrow and diamond-shaped. The valves are sculpted by 30 to 35 squamate ribs separated by grooves slightly narrower than the ribs. The ribs are finely marked by the annual growth lines.[2]

Distribution

Limatula hodgsoni is found on the seabed of the waters around Antarctica at depths down to at least 769 m (2,500 ft).[2] It is very common in the zone deeper than 33 m (110 ft) which is the lower limit for anchor ice formation. In some areas, this zone is characterised by a layer of sponge spicules and dead mollusc shells a metre or more thick, overgrown by living sponges. This matrix is a biodiverse habitat rich in sea anemones, polychaete worms, hydroids, bryozoans and molluscs.[3] Limatula hodgsoni is the most abundant bivalve mollusc in this habitat and is preyed on by the starfishes Odontaster validus and Diplasterias brucei.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Bouchet, Philippe (2013). "Limatula hodgsoni (E. A. Smith, 1907)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Limatula (Antarctolima) hodgsoni (Smith, 1907)". Antarctic Invertebrates. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  3. ↑ Advances in Marine Biology. Academic Press. 1972. p. 149. ISBN 978-0-08-057933-7.
  4. ↑ Knox, George A. (2006). Biology of the Southern Ocean, Second Edition. CRC Press. p. 291. ISBN 978-1-4200-0513-4.
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