Clausinella fasciata

Clausinella fasciata Temporal range: Middle Miocene – Present, [1] [2] 20.43–0  Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Fossil of Clausinella fasciata from Pliocene of Italy
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Order:	Venerida
Superfamily:	Veneroidea
Family:	Veneridae
Genus:	Clausinella
Species:	C. fasciata
Binomial name
Clausinella fasciata (da Costa, 1778)
Synonyms
List Pectunculus fasciatada Costa, 1778 Venus fasciata(da Costa, 1778) Venus paphiaMontagu, 1803 Venus brongniartiiPayraudeau, 1826 Clausinella brongniartii(Payraudeau, 1826) Venus biradiata Risso, 1826 Venus scalarisBronn, 1832 Venus decipiensHanley, 1845 Venus busschaerdiRéquien, 1848 Venus duminyiRéquien, 1848 Venus phliippiaeRéquien, 1848

Clausinella fasciata, the banded venus, is a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Veneridae.

Fossil record

Fossils of Clausinella fasciata are found in marine strata from the Miocene until the Quaternary (age range: from 20.43 to 0.012 million years ago). Fossils are known from various localities in Cyprus, Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, Morocco and Spain. ^[1]

Clausinella fasciata from Illustrated Index of British Shells, Plate II., Fig 14

Description

This species has a solid, flat, sub-triangular shell which grows to 2.5 centimetres (0.98 in) in length. Surface colour is variable; red, pink, purple, yellow or brown with radiating bands and colourful streaks. It may have up to fifteen broad concentric ridges on older specimens. The interior is dull white. ^[3]

Distribution and habitat

The banded venus has a recorded distribution and common around all coasts of the British Isles. It is found in coarse gravel, typically containing sand or shell fragments, down to depths of as much as 100 metres (330 ft). ^[3]

References

1. "Paleobiology Database: Venus fasciata" . Retrieved May 11, 2012.
2. Cowper Reed, F.R. (1935). "I.—Notes on the neogene faunas of Cyprus.—II". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 15 (85): 1–37. doi:10.1080/00222933508654941.
3. Caroline Farrell (2008). "Clausinella fasciata. Banded venus". Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme. Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. Archived from the original on December 23, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2012.