| Phaxas pellucidus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Subclass: | Heterodonta |
| Order: | Adapedonta |
| Family: | Pharidae |
| Genus: | Phaxas |
| Species: | P. pellucidus |
| Binomial name | |
| Phaxas pellucidus (Pennant, 1777) | |
| Synonyms | |
Phaxas pellucidus, the transparent razor shell, is a species of marine bivalve mollusc in the family Pharidae. It is found buried in the seabed in coastal waters of northwest Europe, often in great numbers. [1]
P. pellucidus is a very small razor shell seldom exceeding 4 cm (2 in) in length. The colour is cream or dull white, sometimes with reddish markings. The periostracum is olive-coloured and glossy. The two elongated valves are fragile and equal in size. The dorsal side of each is straight while the ventral side is slightly curved giving a pod-like appearance. [2] The anterior end is rounded while the posterior end is slightly truncate. There are fine sculptured lines parallel to the margins, which are themselves smooth. The ligament joining the valves is external and located close to the beaks which are very close to the anterior end. [3] [4] Pharus legumen is a somewhat similar species but it can be distinguished by its larger size and more cylindrical outline and the differences in the hinge teeth. [5]
P. pellucidus occurs in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, ranging from Norway and the Baltic Sea southwards to Spain and Portugal, including the North Sea and English Channel. It is found around the coasts of the British Isles. [5] [6]
This species is often abundant in muddy sand at depths of up to 200 metres. [4] It is a filter feeder and extends its siphons to the surface to circulate water through its mantle where it extract food fragments. [1] Studies in Liverpool Bay show that where the sea bed has been disturbed by dredging and deposition of further sediment has occurred, P. pellucidus and the polychaete worm Lagis koreni often come to dominate the community, which includes another bivalve, Abra alba . [7] In the study, this particular community is believed to be associated with more than one biotope (the habitat of a community). [7]
Atrina fragilis, the fan mussel, is a species of large saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Pinnidae, the pen shells.
The pod razor is a coastal bivalve of European waters. It is edible and has been fished commercially, especially in Portugal, Spain, Ireland and Scotland.
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.
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.
Pododesmus patelliformis, the ribbed saddle-oyster, is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Anomiidae. It is found in the north east Atlantic Ocean.
Ensis ensis, or the sword razor, is a razor clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Pharidae. It lives buried in the sand and is found off the coasts of northwest Europe.
Fabulina fabula, the bean-like tellin, is a species of marine bivalve mollusc in the family Tellinidae. It is found off the coasts of northwest Europe, where it lives buried in sandy sediments.
Tellina tenuis, the thin tellin, is a species of marine bivalve mollusc in the family Tellinidae. It is found off the coasts of northwest Europe and in the Mediterranean Sea, where it lives buried in sandy sediments.
Tellimya ferruginosa is a species of small marine bivalve mollusc in the family Lasaeidae. It is found on the eastern side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Abra alba, or the white furrow shell, is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Semelidae. It occurs in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, where it lives on the floor in shallow areas buried in soft sediments.
Phaxas is a genus of small razor shells in the family Pharidae. Members of the genus have a pair of elongate valves and live in soft sediments on the sea bed. They have a muscular foot with which they can dig rapidly and a short siphon which they extend to the surface of the substrate. They are suspension feeders.
Lagis koreni, commonly known as the trumpet worm, is a species of marine polychaete worm found in European waters. It lives within a narrow conical tube made of grains of sand and shell fragments.
Lutraria is a genus of medium-sized marine bivalve mollusks or clams, commonly known as otter shells.
Lutraria lutraria is a species of large marine bivalve mollusc in the family Mactridae. Its common names include the otter shell and the common otter shell. It occurs in coastal regions of the north east Atlantic Ocean where it lives buried in the sand.
Venerupis decussata is a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Veneridae, commonly known as the cross-cut carpet shell.
Thracia convexa is a bivalve mollusc in the family Thraciidae.
Donax vittatus, or the banded wedge shell, is a species of bivalve mollusc in the order Cardiida. It is found on beaches in northwest Europe buried in the sand on the lower shore.
Mulinia lateralis, the dwarf surf clam or coot clam, is a species of small saltwater clam, a bivalve mollusc in the family Mactridae. It occurs in the western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
Solecurtus strigilatus, also known as the rosy razor clam, is a species of saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Solecurtidae. This mollusc is a suspension feeder and can burrow with great rapidity to escape predators. It is an unusual bivalve in that its shell valves are too small to contain all the soft tissue, and the animal is unable to retreat into its shell.
Pharus legumen, is a species of bivalve mollusc commonly found burrowed in the sand on lower shores and in the shallow sublittoral.