Arcuatula japonica is a species of marine mussel in the family Mytilidae.[1] It is a benthic bivalve of tropical to warm-temperate coastal waters in the western Pacific, where it has been recorded from Hong Kong, the Philippines, the Gulf of Thailand, the Andaman Sea and northern Australia.[1][2][3]
The scientific name of the species was first validly published in 1857 by Wilhelm Dunker.[4]
Taxonomy
Arcuatula japonica was originally described by Dunker in 1857 under the name Volsella japonica based on material from Japan.[5][6] Subsequent authors transferred the species to the genera Amygdalum and Musculista, and it was widely known as Musculista japonica during the 20th century.[5][7] Modern revisions of mytilid mussels place it in the genus Arcuatula, and Arcuatula japonica is treated as the currently accepted name in MolluscaBase and other taxonomic databases.[5][4]
Distribution and habitat
Records compiled by SeaLifeBase list A. japonica from tropical western Pacific waters, with confirmed occurrences in Hong Kong and the Philippines.[1] A regional synthesis of marine molluscs of Thailand reports the species (under the name Musculista japonica) from both the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea.[2] In northern Australia, the species has been recorded on intertidal mudflats and was noted as a native mussel similar in appearance to the invasive Asian date mussel Arcuatula senhousia.[3]
SeaLifeBase characterises A. japonica as a benthic species occurring in shallow marine habitats in tropical climates.[1] Available records indicate a preference for soft-bottom coastal environments such as sheltered bays, estuaries and tidal flats.[2][3]
Biology
According to SeaLifeBase, Arcuatula japonica is a discretely motile suspension feeder, filtering suspended particulate matter from the water column.[1] As with other bivalves, the life cycle involves planktonic trochophore and veliger larval stages before settlement as a benthic juvenile and adult.[1] The species is listed as "Not Evaluated" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and there is currently no specific global conservation assessment.[1]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
