Nucula

Nucula; Temporal range: Arenig - Recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Shell of Nucula delphinodonta
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Order:	Nuculida
Family:	Nuculidae
Genus:	Nucula; Lamarck, 1799
Synonyms
	Arca nucleus Linnaeus, 1758;

Nucula is a genus of very small saltwater clams. They are part of the family Nuculidae.

Fossil records

This genus is very ancient. Fossils are known from the Arenig to the Quaternary (age range: from 478.6 to 0.0 million years ago). Fossils are found in the marine strata all over the world.^[1]

Description

Shells of species within this genus can reach a size of about 30 millimetres (1.2 in). They are equivalve, symmetrical, approximately triangular. The surface has fine concentric growth lines. These clams live in the muddy sand close to the sediment surface at a depth of 20 to 200 meters.^[2]

Species

Nowadays there are still many species of this genus, which have had virtually no change in the course of time. Species within the genus Nucula include:^[3]

Nucula annulata Hampson, 1971
Nucula atacellana Schenck, 1939 - cancellate nutclam
Nucula austrobenthalis Dell, 1990
Nucula beachportensis Verco, 1907
Nucula benguelana (A. H. Clarke, 1961)
Nucula brasiliana Esteves, 1984
Nucula calcicola Moore, 1977 - reef nutclam
Nucula callicredemna Dall, 1890
Nucula cancellata Meek & Hayden, 1856
Nucula cardara Dall, 1916
Nucula carlottensis Dall, 1897 - Charlotte nutclam
Nucula certisinus Finlay, 1930
Nucula chrysocome
Nucula consentanea Melvill & Standen, 1907
Nucula covra Bergmans, 1978
Nucula crassicostata E. A. Smith, 1872
Nucula crassidens Nicklès, 1955
Nucula crenulata A. Adams, 1856 - crenulate nutclam
Nucula crystallina Poppe, Tagaro & Stahlschmidt, 2015
Nucula culebrensis E. A. Smith, 1885
Nucula cymella Dall, 1886
Nucula darella Dall, 1916
Nucula declivis Hinds, 1843
Nucula delphinodonta Mighels & C. B. Adams, 1842 - dolphintooth nutclam
Nucula distincta Turton, 1932
Nucula donaciformis E. A. Smith, 1895
Nucula dorsocrenata (Habe, 1977)
Nucula dunedinensis Finlay, 1928
Nucula exigua G. B. Sowerby I, 1833 - iridescent nutclam, short nutclam
Nucula exodonta Prashad, 1932
Nucula faba Xu, 1999
Nucula falklandica Preston, 1912
Nucula fernandensis Villarroel, 1971
Nucula fernandinae Dall, 1927
Nucula gallinacea Finlay, 1930
Nucula granulosa Verrill, 1884
Nucula groenlandica Posselt, 1898 - Greenland nutclam
Nucula hanleyi Winckworth, 1931
Nucula hartvigiana Dohrn, 1864
Nucula hawaiensis Pilsbry, 1921
Nucula inconspicua H. Adams, 1871
Nucula insignis (Hayami & Kase, 1993)
Nucula interflucta Marincovich, 1973
Nucula iphigenia Dall, 1896
Nucula irregularis G. B. Sowerby III, 1904
Nucula izushotoensis (Okutani, 1966)
Nucula kanaka Bergmans, 1991
Nucula kerguelensis Thiele, 1912
Nucula libera Bergmans, 1991
Nucula malabarica Hanley, 1860
Nucula mariae Nolf, 2005
Nucula marmorea Hinds, 1843
Nucula marshalli Schenck, 1939
Nucula mayi (Iredale, 1930)
Nucula mesembrina (Hedley, 1916)
Nucula mitralis Hinds, 1843
Nucula multidentata Prashad, 1933
Nucula nicklesi Cosel, 1995
Nucula nitidosa Winckworth, 1930 (unaccepted name: Nucula turgida Leckenby & Marshall, 1875)
Nucula nitidula A. Adams, 1856
Nucula nitidulaformis Powell, 1971
Nucula notobenthalis Thiele, 1912
Nucula nucleus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Nucula oppressa Bergmans, 1991
Nucula papillifera Thiele & Jaeckel, 1931
Nucula paulula A. Adams, 1856
Nucula percrassa (Conrad, 1858 )
Nucula pisum G. B. Sowerby I, 1833
Nucula planiculmen Kilburn, 1999
Nucula praetenta Iredale, 1924
Nucula profundorum E. A. Smith, 1885
Nucula proxima Say, 1822 - Atlantic nutclam
Nucula pseudoexigua Villarroel & Stuardo, 1998
Nucula pusilla Angas, 1877
Nucula recens Dell, 1956
Nucula revei Bergmans, 1978
Nucula rhytidopleura Kilburn, 1999
Nucula rossiana Finlay, 1930
Nucula rugulosa G. B. Sowerby I, 1833
Nucula saltator (Iredale, 1939)
Nucula schencki Hertlein & Strong, 1940
Nucula sculpturata G. B. Sowerby III, 1904
Nucula semen Thiele & Jaeckel, 1931
Nucula semiornata d'Orbigny, 1842
Nucula sericea Thiele & Jaeckel, 1931
Nucula striolata A. Adams, 1856
Nucula suahelica (Thiele & Jaeckel, 1931)
Nucula subluxa Kilburn, 1999
Nucula subovata Verrill & Bush, 1898
Nucula sulcata Bronn, 1831
Nucula sultana Thiele & Jaeckel, 1931
Nucula surinamensis Van Regteren Altena, 1968
Nucula tamatavica Odhner, 1943
Nucula tenuis (Montagu, 1808)
Nucula tersior Marwick, 1929 †
Nucula thielei Schenck, 1939
Nucula tokyoensis Yokoyama, 1920
Nucula torresi E. A. Smith, 1885
Nucula trigonica Lan & Lee, 2001
Nucula tumidula (Malm, 1860)
Nucula venezuelana Weisbord, 1964
Nucula vincentiana (Cotton & Godfrey, 1938)
Nucula zophos A. H. Clark, 1960

Extinct species

Extinct species within the genus Nucula include:^[1]

N. alcocki † Noetling 1895
N. andersoni † Clark & Durham 1946
N. assiniboiensis † Russell & Landes 1937
N. athabaskensis † McLearn 1931
N. brewsterensis † Hassan 1953
N. cancellata † Meek & Hayden 1857
N. cancellata † Vredenburg 1928
N. catalina † Olsson 1930
N. chrysocoma † Dall 1908
N. cilleborgensis † Ravn 1907
N. concinna † Sowerby 1836
N. cossmanni † Vincent 1892
N. costaeimbricatus † Newton 1922
N. crepida † Marwick 1931
N. cunifrons † Conrad 1860
N. domandaensis † Eames 1951
N. gabbiana † Dickerson 1916
N. greppina † Deshayes 1858
N. major † Richards 1944
N. mancorensis † Olsson 1931
N. martini † Finlay 1927
N. micheleae † Marincovich jr. 1993
N. morundiana † Tate 1886
N. narica † Vredenburg 1928
N. nejdensis † Abbass 1972
N. njalindugensis † Martin 1919
N. observatoria † Ihering 1907
N. orbicella † Olsson 1922
N. paboensis † Olsson 1931
N. paytensis † Adams 1856
N. piacentina † Lamarck
N. pilkeyi † Ward & Blackwelder 1987
N. planimarginata † Meek & Hayden 1857
N. praemissa † Semper 1861
N. prunicola † Dall 1898
N. rembangensis † Martin 1919
N. reticularis † Ortmann 1900
N. sedanensis † Haanstra & Spiker 1932
N. semistriata † Tate 1886
N. shaleri † Dall 1894
N. sinaria † Dall 1898
N. stantoni † Stephenson 1923
N. studeri † d'Archiac 1850
N. subrotundata † Morningstar 1922
N. subtransversa † Nyst 1844
N. suprastriata † Arnold 1903
N. tallahalaensis † Dockery 1982
N. taphria † Dall 1898
N. tatriana † King 1850
N. tersior † Marwick 1929
N. tumida † Tenison Woods 1877
N. turgens † Wood 1879
N. venezuelana † Weisbord 1964
N. ventricosa † Hall 1868
N. vestigia † Marwick 1929
N. vicksburgensis † Conrad 1848
N. waikuraensis † Marwick 1931
N. washingtonensis † Weaver 1916

References

Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1

[AA-1] Fossilworks

[2] Marine Microfauna Genus Trait Handbook

[3] WoRMS

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[2]