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MESODESMATIDAE |
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Atactodea cuneata (Lamarck, 1818) Description: Shape elongate-ovate, longer than wide, umbo behind midline. Postero-dorsal slope convex, antero-dorsal slope straight. Exterior smooth, with weak commarginal growth ridges. Interior with pallial line and muscle scars strongly incised; pallial sinus fairly shallow, about one-quarter of shell length in depth; margin smooth. Hinge as for family. Ligament internal. Shell white. Periostracum thin, smooth, brown. Size: Up to 30 mm in length. Distribution: Endemic to Australia: Sydney, NSW, southwards and around southern Australia, to WA including Tas. Habitat: Lives in sand intertidally; in NSW, mainly in sheltered harbours. Comparison: This species differs from Paphies angusta by being more ovate and having the postero-dorsal margin convex. Remarks: Cotton (1961) noted that this species is very variable in shape, with some specimens being almost equilateral. Fig. 1: 8237-1 Gunnamatta Bay, Port Hacking, NSW (C.303607) |
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