Nucula hartvigiana
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| Nucula hartvigiana Pfeiffer, 1864 |
Nucula hartvigiana is a nut clam of the family Nuculidae, endemic to New Zealand. It is found intertidally and in shallow water, especially in Zostera sea grass flats.
The shell is moderately large , obliquely-ovate, with the anterior end rather inflated. Sculpturing consists of crisp, narrow, concentric ridges, with somewhat broader interspaces. Internally, dense radial threads run back from a finely crenulated ventral margin.
Nucula hartvigiana is often found together with the New Zealand cockle, Chione stutchburyi, but is not as abundant showing a preference for mud. Unlike most other bivalves this species feeds on organic particles within the sediment.
Coloration is from olive to light brown, and silvery iridescent within.
Maximum height is 70 mm, width 80 mm, and thickness 58 mm.
[edit] References
- Miller M & Batt G, Reef and Beach Life of New Zealand, William Collins (New Zealand) Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1973
- Powell A W B, New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1
