| Myochama Temporal range: Late/Upper Pliocene–present, | |
|---|---|
 | |
| (1) Myochama anomioides, (2) Myochama strangei, (3–4) Myochama transversa (5) Humphreyia strangei | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Family: | Myochamidae |
| Genus: | Myochama Stutchbury, 1830 |
Myochama is a genus of bivalves in the family Myochamidae. [1] [2] [3] They are restricted to the waters off southeastern Australia and New Zealand. [4]
Myochama exhibit cementation where one valve is fixed to some hard substrate – similarly as oysters. In Myochama, it is the right valve that gets cemented, typically to the posterior region of shells of large infaunal bivalves. In Myochama anomioides, this happens when the shell is few millimeters in height (range 1.2–3.9 mm (0.05–0.15 in)). The cemented right valve is thin and flat or slightly convex, whereas the left valve is robust and strongly concave. [4]
Typical substrata for attachment include shells of Neotrigonia , Venericardia , and Glycymeris . Individuals that attach themselves to living objects tend to do so at smaller sizes than those attaching to inanimate objects (e.g., dead shells, rocks). [4]
Myochama probably have direct development (i.e., there are no free-living larvae). [4]
There are four extant species: [2]
There are also three species only known from the fossil record: [2]
Bivalvia, in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class of marine and freshwater molluscs that have laterally compressed bodies enclosed by a shell consisting of two hinged parts. As a group, bivalves have no head and they lack some usual molluscan organs, like the radula and the odontophore. The class includes the clams, oysters, cockles, mussels, scallops, and numerous other families that live in saltwater, as well as a number of families that live in freshwater. The majority are filter feeders. The gills have evolved into ctenidia, specialised organs for feeding and breathing. Most bivalves bury themselves in sediment, where they are relatively safe from predation. Others lie on the sea floor or attach themselves to rocks or other hard surfaces. Some bivalves, such as the scallops and file shells, can swim. Shipworms bore into wood, clay, or stone and live inside these substances.
Scallop is a common name that encompasses various species of marine bivalve mollusks in the taxonomic family Pectinidae, the scallops. However, the common name "scallop" is also sometimes applied to species in other closely related families within the superfamily Pectinoidea, which also includes the thorny oysters.
The Veneridae or venerids, common name: Venus clams, are a very large family of minute to large, saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs. Over 500 living species of venerid bivalves are known, most of which are edible, and many of which are exploited as food sources.
Freshwater bivalves are one kind of freshwater mollusc, along with freshwater snails. They are bivalves that live in fresh water as opposed to salt water, which is the main habitat type for bivalves.
Placunidae, also known as windowpane oysters, windowpane shells, and Capiz shells, are a taxonomic family of saltwater clams, marine bivalve mollusks which are related to oysters and scallops.
The Plicatulidae are a family of saltwater clams, marine bivalve mollusks, known commonly as kitten's paws or kittenpaws. These bivalves are related to oysters and scallops. The family has a single living genus, Plicatula, with a second, Harpax known from fossils.
Perna perna, the brown mussel, is an economically important mussel, a bivalve mollusc belonging to the family Mytilidae. It is harvested as a food source but is also known to harbor toxins and cause damage to marine structures. It is native to the waters of Africa, Europe, and South America and was introduced in the waters of North America.
A bivalve shell is part of the body, the exoskeleton or shell, of a bivalve mollusk. In life, the shell of this class of mollusks is composed of two hinged parts or valves. Bivalves are very common in essentially all aquatic locales, including saltwater, brackish water, and freshwater. The shells of bivalves commonly wash up on beaches and along the edges of lakes, rivers, and streams. Bivalves by definition possess two shells or valves, a "right valve" and a "left valve", that are joined by a ligament. The two valves usually articulate with one another using structures known as "teeth" which are situated along the hinge line. In many bivalve shells, the two valves are symmetrical along the hinge line—when truly symmetrical, such an animal is said to be equivalved; if the valves vary from each other in size or shape, inequivalved. If symmetrical front-to-back, the valves are said to be equilateral, and are otherwise considered inequilateral.
Mimachlamys varia, also known under common names variegated scallop and black scallop, is a species of small scallop, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Pectinidae, the scallops. It occurs in the North Sea, the English Channel, the eastern Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea.
Brachiopods, phylum Brachiopoda, are a phylum of trochozoan animals that have hard "valves" (shells) on the upper and lower surfaces, unlike the left and right arrangement in bivalve molluscs. Brachiopod valves are hinged at the rear end, while the front can be opened for feeding or closed for protection. Two major categories are traditionally recognized, articulate and inarticulate brachiopods. The word "articulate" is used to describe the tooth-and-groove structures of the valve-hinge which is present in the articulate group, and absent from the inarticulate group. This is the leading diagnostic skeletal feature, by which the two main groups can be readily distinguished as fossils. Articulate brachiopods have toothed hinges and simple, vertically oriented opening and closing muscles. Conversely, inarticulate brachiopods have weak, untoothed hinges and a more complex system of vertical and oblique (diagonal) muscles used to keep the two valves aligned. In many brachiopods, a stalk-like pedicle projects from an opening near the hinge of one of the valves, known as the pedicle or ventral valve. The pedicle, when present, keeps the animal anchored to the seabed but clear of sediment which would obstruct the opening.
Mya truncata, common name the blunt gaper or truncate softshell, is a species of edible saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Myidae.
Juliidae, common name the bivalved gastropods, is a family of minute sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks or micromollusks in the superfamily Oxynooidea, an opisthobranch group.
Arcinella cornuta, or the Florida spiny jewelbox clam or Florida spiny jewel box, is a marine species of bivalve mollusc in the family Chamidae. It can be found along the coast of North Carolina to Florida, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Central America, and Venezuela.
Crassadoma is a genus of rock scallops, marine bivalve molluscs in the family Pectinidae. It is monotypic, the only species being Crassadoma gigantea, the rock scallop, giant rock scallop or purple-hinge rock scallop. Although the small juveniles are free-swimming, they soon become sessile, and are cemented to the substrate. These scallops occur in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
A hinge ligament is a crucial part of the anatomical structure of a bivalve shell, i.e. the shell of a bivalve mollusk. The shell of a bivalve has two valves and these are joined by the ligament at the dorsal edge of the shell. The ligament is made of a strong, flexible and elastic, fibrous, proteinaceous material which is usually pale brown, dark brown or black in color.
Ostreoidea is a taxonomic superfamily of bivalve marine mollusc, sometimes simply identified as oysters, containing two families. The ostreoids are characterized in part by the presence of a well developed axial rod. Anal flaps are known to exist within the family Ostreidae but not within the more-primitive Gryphaeidae. The scar from the adductor muscle is simple, with a single, central scar. In the majority, the right valve is less convex than the left.
The Anomioidea are a superfamily of marine bivalve molluscs that include two families, the Anomiidae and the Placunidae, the jingle shells and saddle shells. They are mainly sessile bivalves that superficially resemble true oysters. Though they are pleurothetic, however, the Anomioidea attach via their right valve rather than the usual left. Their irregular shells are inequilateral, are round to oval, with a large byssal notch. The byssus itself is usually short and plug-like. The left valve is convex, and the hinge is considered edentulous.
Thracia is a genus of bivalve mollusc in the family Thraciidae.
Eurytellina simulans is a species of bivalve mollusc. This species was previously known as Tellina simulans.
Anomia ephippium is a species of bivalve belonging to the family Anomiidae.
 | This bivalve-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |