Lucinella divaricata, the divaricate lucine, is a small marine bivalve mollusc of the family Lucinidae found in the north eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Its fossils are known from Cenozoic deposits all over Europe.[1] Chemoautotrophic bacteria in their gills enable them to survive well in substrates rich in hydrogen sulfide.[2]
| Lucinella divaricata | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Lucinida |
| Family: | Lucinidae |
| Genus: | Lucinella |
| Species: | L. divaricata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Lucinella divaricata (Linnaeus, 1758)
| |
Description
editThe valves are small and nearly round, about 5 - 10 mm in diameter, the beak is slightly twisted towards the anterior. The lunule is deep and the internal margin slightly crenulated.[3] Deeply inset ligament.
Two cardinal teeth in the left valve and one large triangular cardinal tooth in the right, two lateral teeth in each valve.[4]
The adductor muscle scars are distinct and very similar in size. Recent shells are typically white or cream and notably thin.[5] In addition to concentric growth rings, the valves prominently exhibit fine ridges.
Geographic range
editLiving Lucinella divaricata can be found in the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Eastern Atlantic, from the English Channel all the way down to Madeira and the Canary Islands.
The species' fossil distribution is much harder to pin down owing to a general lack of information and frequent misidentification, but they have been documented in nearly all Southern European[6] countries as well as the United Kingdom, and sediments of the North and Baltic Seas.[7]
Taxonomy
editThe taxon was described by Linnaeus in Systema Naturae in 1758 as Tellina divaricata, and served as the type for the genus Lucinella (described by Monterosato 1884).
Lamarck and Chemnitz (among others), confused the species Linné described - Mediterranean and only about the size of a pea - for a similar looking larger bivalve found in the Western Atlantic. Literature still often cited both species' ranges up until the middle of the 19th century,[8] leading to "Lucina divaricata" being thought of as a transatlantic species. The error was pointed out by Philippi in 1836,[9] however instead of returning the name L. divaricata to Linné's European bivalve, he proposed that it should remain with the American species, and that the European species be renamed to L. commutata.[9][10]
During this time, various other synonymous names[1] were proposed for these two bivalves, but today it is again Linné's European Tellina divaricata which is called Lucinella divaricata, while Lamarck's American species is called Divalinga quadrisulcata.
References
edit- ^ a b Bucquoy, E. (1887–1898). Les mollusques marins du Roussillon (in French). J.-B. Baillière. pp. 629–634. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.12671. OCLC 18592605.
- ^ Taylor, J. D.; Glover, E. A. (2000). "Functional anatomy, chemosymbiosis and evolution of the Lucinidae". Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 177. 177 (1): 207–225. Bibcode:2000GSLSP.177..207T. doi:10.1144/gsl.sp.2000.177.01.12. S2CID 129806177. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
- ^ Forbes, E.; Hanley, S. (1853). A history of British Mollusca and their shells. Vol. 2. John Van Voorst. pp. 52–53. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.16341. OCLC 8654948.
- ^ Schaffer, F. X. (1910). Das Miozän von Eggenburg. Die Fauna der ersten Mediterranstufe des Wiener Beckens und die geologischen Verhältnisse der Umgebung des Manhartsberges in Niederösterreich (in German). Vol. 22. Kaiserlich-Königliche Geologische Reichsanstalt Wien. pp. 100–102. LCCN 2003216194. OCLC 7268238.
- ^ Deshayes, G. P. (1824). Description des coquilles fossiles des environs de Paris (in French). Vol. 1. the author, Bechet Jeune [etc.] pp. 105–106. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.52303. OCLC 5848826.
- ^ Brambilla, G. (1976). "Memorie della Società italiana di scienze naturali e del Museo civico di storia naturale di Milano". Società italiana di scienze naturali. 21 (3): 105–106. ISSN 0376-2726. LCCN 86649683. OCLC 173824497.
- ^ Funder, S.; Demidov, I.; Yelovicheva, Y. (2002). "Hydrography and mollusc faunas of the Baltic and the White Sea–North Sea seaway in the Eemian". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 184 (3): 275–304. Bibcode:2002PPP...184..275F. doi:10.1016/S0031-0182(02)00256-0. ISSN 0031-0182.
- ^ Berge, F. (1855). Conchylienbuch, oder, Allgemeine und besondere Naturgeschichte der Muscheln und Schnecken : nebst der Anweisung sie zu sammeln, zuzubereiten und aufzubewahren (in German) (2 ed.). Verlag von Krais & Hoffmann. p. 47. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.16004.
- ^ a b Pfeiffer, L. (1869). Die Familie der Venusmuscheln, Veneracae : nebst einem Anhange, enthalend die Chemnitz'schen Lucinen, Galateen und Corbis (in German). Verlag von Bauer und Raspe (Ludwig Korn). pp. 268–272. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.120017.
- ^ Philippi, R. A. (1841). "Bemerkungen über einige Linneisclie Conchylien-Arten, welche von den spätern Conchyliologen verkannt sind". Archiv für Naturgeschichte. 7 (1): 261–262.