Laevichlamys limatula (Reeve, 1853)
REEVE, L. A. 1852-1853. Monograph of the genus Pecten. In: L. A. Reeve (Ed.), 1843-1878, Conchologia Iconica; or illustrations of the shells of molluscous animals, vol. 8. [unnumbered pages], pls. 1-35. London. [sp. 124, pl. 28, fig. 124]
1853 Pecten limatula Reeve, 1853
L. A. Reeve, 1852-1853, plate 28.
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«Species 124. (Mus. Cuming.)
PECTEN LIMATULA. Pect. testâ ovatâ, altiore quam longâ, subcompressâ, tenui, semipellucidâ, aequilaterali, vix aequivalvi, undique densè liratis, liris squamis parvis subdistantibus nitidê asperatis; albà, valvâ sinistrâ purpureo-lacco pallidissimê, et etiam intensê, sparsim maculatâ; auriculis valdê inaequalibus.
THE SMALL PECTEN. Shell ovate, higher than long, rather compressed, thin, semitransparent, equilateral, scarcely equivalve, everywhere densely ridged, the ridges being neatly roughened by small rather distant scales; white, left valve very faintly and also very deeply blotched with purple-lake; ears very unequal.
Hab.—— ? Very delicately and elaborately sculptured with small suberect scales on close-set ridges.» LOVELL AUGUSTUS REEVE, 1853
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«Description. Shell up to c. 30 mm high, thin, semi-translucent, ovate, some specimens prosocline, others acline; valves almost equally weakly inflated, slightly inequivalve, equilateral, auricles highly unequal in shape and size, umbonal angle c. 85–90°; brightly coloured, cream, orange or yellow with radial blotched streaks of darker colour; some specimens uniformly coloured.
Both valves sculptured with numerous, very closely and unevenly spaced, spinous radial riblets (c. 60–70 in adult stage near ventral margin), increasing by intercalation and varying slightly in prominence. Interstitial microsculpture commarginal in early growth stage, more antimarginal in late ontogeny. Anterior auricles with 6–10 squamous radial riblets, posterior ones with 4–6. Byssal notch relatively deep, byssal fasciole broad. Functional ctenolium well-developed, with 4–6 teeth. Dimensions. Illustrated specimen: WA, Abrolhos Islands, Wallabi Group, E side of Goss Passage, Beacon Island, approx. 28°28'S 113°45'E (WAM S30731): H 25.2, L 22.3, D 7.6 mm.
Habitat. Living in the littoral zone, byssally attached to the undersides of coral boulders, or amongst coral rubble on clean sand.
Distribution. Tropical Indo-West Pacific, from the Philippines to northern Australia, westwards to Christmas Island, and eastwards into the central Pacific to the Line Islands (Raines & Poppe, 2006: 204); Indonesia, 10–25 m, dead (Dijkstra & Moolenbeek, 2008: 19). Maximum depth range of live-taken specimens is 12–18 m. Present specimen from Australia alive at 2–3 m.
Remarks. The epithet “limatula” (Latin, diminutive of “lima”, a file) is an indeclinable noun. The present specimens from Australia are indistinguishable from the holotype.
Wagner (1982: 86) synonymized the present species with Laevichlamys irregularis (Sowerby, 1842) (= Laevichlamys cuneata (Reeve, 1853), above), and considered that there are no significant morphological differences between the two nominal taxa. However, L. limatula has much finer and more evenly arranged radial sculpture than L. cuneata, which has much more unevenly spaced and less well-developed narrow and broad radial costae. Moreover, L. limatula is smaller in size, relatively thin, and more brightly coloured. Waller (1993: 204) placed both species in his new genus Laevichlamys.» DIJKSTRA, H. H. & A. G. BEU. 2018. Living scallops of Australia and adjacent waters (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Pectinoidea: Propeamussiidae, Cyclochlamydidae and Pectinidae). Records of the Australian Museum, 70 (2): 113-330, figs. 1-102. [p. 243, 244]
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Laevichlamys limatula (Reeve); H. H. Dijkstra & A. G. Beu, 2018, Living scallops of australia and adjacent waters, figures 67E, 67K, 67L, 69G, 69J.
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