Lightning Pitar
Pitar fulminatusSummary 1
Pitar fulminatus, or the lightning venus clam, is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Veneridae. It can be found along the Atlantic coast of North America, ranging from North Carolina to Brazil and Bermuda.
Morphology 2
The overall shape is trigonal ovate. The posterior margin is subtruncated, and the anterior and ventral margins are rounded. The anterior dorsal margin is subconcave and the posterior dorsal margin is subconvex. The valves are equal in size and shape (equivalve), and there is no gape when they are closed. Sculpture consists of growth lines and very fine, dense comarginal ribs on the dissoconch. The lunule is rounded, extends 3/4 of the anterior dorsal margin and is defined by a fine shallow groove. The umbo is central and the beaks point slightly to the anterior. The escutcheon is slightly smoother than the area around it, but otherwise not well defined.
The exterior is white and typically has light brown comarginal stripes, radial stripes and/or tent marks. The escutcheon is typically a darker brown, and the lunule may have a blotch of brown coloration near the umbo. The interior is white.
The ligament is external, slightly sunken, extends half the posterior dorsal margin and is supported by nymphal ridges. On the left valve, there are three cardinal teeth (2a, 2b, 4b), none of which are bifid. The posterior tooth (4b) is fused with the nymph, and the anterior (2a) and central (2b) teeth are fused dorsally, forming an inverted "V" shape. There is also one anterior lateral tooth (A2) on the left valve. On the right valve, there are three cardinal teeth: the anterior (3a) and central (1) teeth are not bifid, and the posterior tooth (3b) is bifid. There are also two anterior lateral teeth (A1, A3) on the right valve. The posterior adductor muscle scar is slightly larger and rounder than the anterior adductor muscle scar. The pallial sinus is tapering and extends to the middle of the nymph in length.
Link to Access Genomic Data 3
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=345387&lvl=0
Sources and Credits
- Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitar_fulminatus
- Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Anderson, Katherine L., some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/17784535
- (c) matbio, all rights reserved
