Chamelea gallina (Linnaeus, 1758)

Norway to Mediterranean, Black Sea. Buried in soft sediments from intertidal to at least upper littoral. Original taxon: Venus gallina. Synonyms: nucleus, nuculata, sinuata. 23m deep, on sand, Málaga, Andalucia, S. Spain. 36-36mm.

Specimen from Chioggia, Veneto, NE. Italy, 34mm. The species is locally abundant in Adriatic.

In sand at low tide, Bordj Djilidj, Djerba island, Médenine Province, Tunisia. 20mm.

Venus gallina in M. E. Gray: Figures of molluscous animals, plate 316, London 1857, via BHL.

Variation set within population. Beachstormed, near the entrance of Ayrolles lagoon, Gruissan, Occitania, S. France. 17-36mm. This chevron-shaped pattern is distinctive.

Great patterns on these specimens from the northern bottom of Gulf of Lion. On beach, south of the river mouth, on right bank, Le Grau du Roi, S. France. 26-40mm.

Pure white specimen from 1m deep, on the town’s beach, near the mouth of the river Cetina, Omiš, Split-Dalmatia Comitat, S. Croatia. Size about 30mm. Original pictures provided by N. Lete (HR) – (CC BY-NC-SA).

Giant albino from sand banks south of Gruissan. 42,5mm.

On sand, Rochelongue, Cap d’Agde, S. France. 34mm.

8m deep, a the edge of a Posidonia meadow, Tenda Bay, NW. of Itanos, N. of Palaikastro, E. Sitia, E. Crete. 15mm.

Juvenile specimens collected in grit, in the channel of Voidokilia beach, west of Navarino lagoon, Pylos area, Messinia, SW Peloponnese, S. Greece. 1,75-9mm.

Specimens from NW. France. Beachstormed, on sand at low tide, Grande Plage, Quiberon Peninsula, southern Brittany, 2007. 24-29mm. Always, some darker rays appear.

Venus gallina in G. P. Deshayes: “Hist. Nat. Mollusques t. I”, Exploration scientifique de l’Algérie, Paris 1844-1867, via BHL.

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