False angelwing

Petricolaria pholadiformis, common names false angelwing, or false angel wing (US), and American piddock (UK), is a species of saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Veneridae, the Venus clams.

False angelwing
Paired valves of Petricolaria pholadiformis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Subclass: Heterodonta
Order: Venerida
Superfamily: Veneroidea
Family: Veneridae
Genus: Petricolaria
Species:
P. pholadiformis
Binomial name
Petricolaria pholadiformis
(Lamarck, 1818)
Synonyms

Petricola pholadifomis Lamarck, 1818

Description

Petricolaria pholadiformis closely resembles the angel wing (Cyrtopleura costata), the main distinguishing feature being that it lacks the apophyses, the spoon-shaped wings located near the beak, of the real angel wing. It grows to about 5 centimetres (2.0 in) long and is usually white. The anterior end is extended and has a rounded point while the posterior end is blunt and curved. There are ridges radiating from the beak, which are more pronounced at the posterior end, and fainter growth rings running parallel with the margin.[1]

Taxonomy

Petricolaria pholadiformis was formerly classified under genus Petricola as Petricola pholadiformis but has since been reclassified under genus Petricolaria.[2]

Distribution

Indigenous

This species is native to the Eastern Coast of North America including the Gulf of Mexico.[1]

Introduced

This clam was introduced and has become established in the British Isles and on the West Coast of North America.[3][4]

A beachworn right valve of Petricolaria pholadiformis, from Wales
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References
  1. False Angel Wing: A Piddock for Your Thoughts Retrieved 2011-11-30.
  2. "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Petricola pholadiformis Lamarck, 1818". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
  3. False Angelwing: Petricolaria pholadiformis Archived 2008-08-28 at the Wayback Machine Elkhorn Slough Research. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
  4. Petricolaria pholadiformis Archived 2010-02-06 at the Wayback Machine Marlin. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
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