Limaria tuberculata (Olivi, 1792)

Portugal to Canarias, Azores to Mediterranean. Suspension feeder in the infralittoral; maybe deeper also. Original taxon: Ostrea tuberculata. White tentacles. 6-9m deep, on sand and gravel bottoms, eastern shore, Agia Pelagia, Iraklio, N. Crete. 22-30mm. Synonym: Lima inflata.

L. tuberculata is less elongate than L. hians (Gmelin, 1791), and shows a rougher sculpture.

Left: tuberculata. Right: hians. An other synonym is ventricosa Sowerby II, 1843.

Above and below: large and solid specimens from an extremely rich area. 1-4m deep, on muddy bottom, among stones and other shells, 500m north of the mills, along the shore of Spinalonga main island, Elounda lagoon, NW. of Kolpos Mirabellou, Lasithi, Crete. 23-40mm.

A rather gaping species. The sculpture explains the synonym imbricata Risso.

The minute prodissoconch in an immature specimen from Corsica.

Lima inflata in L. A. Reeve: Elements of conchology, London 1860, via BHL.

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