| Polititapes aureus (Gmelin, 1791) |
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Norway to Spain, Mediterranean, Black Sea.
« A shallow burrower in gravels and muds. Intertidal and sublittoral… » (MBSBI). Original taxon: Venus aurea.
Impressive number of synonyms.
Málaga, Andalucia, S. Spain. 33mm. |
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Synonyms: bicolor, catenifera, florida, petalina, tenuistriata…
A specimen from Livorno, Toscana, W. Italy. 28mm. |
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| Rounded specimen from Palaiohora, SW. Crete. 11mm. |
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Original taxon: Venus aurea, for the golden paintings inside.
Textile-patterned shells from Cap d’Agde, S. France. 18-21mm. |
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| On beach, Cap d’Agde. 6-17mm. Sculpture weakens near umbos. |
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Atlantic specimens.
Intertidal, Siec island, Le Dossen, Roscoff, NW. Brittany, NW. France. 24-35mm. |
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A shell from W. Sweden. On beach, Veddö, Bohuslän,
Västra Götaland. 40mm. Interesting shape. |
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The great mediterranean form “texturata” Lamarck.
On beach, south of the river mouth, on right bank, Le Grau du Roi, S. France. 25-34mm. |
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| Above and below: Calambrone beach, Livorno. 18-20mm. |
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| Variations affect sculpture, colours, patterns. |
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| Pullastra castrensis in G. P. Deshayes: “Hist. Nat. Mollusques t. I”, Exploration scientifique de l’Algérie, Paris 1844-1867, via BHL. Obvioulsy, a “texturata”. |
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| Again a “texturata”: Grau de la Vieille Nouvelle, Ayrolles lagoon, Gruissan, Occitania, S. France. 37mm. |
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| The “texturata” variant is sometimes discovered in northern seas: here, on the beach, Sydkoster, Koster Islands, Strömstad, Västra Götaland. 41mm. |
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| Tapes aureus in J. G. Hidalgo: Moluscos marinos de España, Portugal y las Baleares, Madrid 1870, via BHL. |
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| Tapes floridus in J. G. Hidalgo, op. cit. via BHL. |
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| Tapes texturatus in J. G. Hidalgo, op. cit. via BHL. |
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2m deep, on sand, Maslinova Bay, northwestern coast of Brač island, Split-Dalmatia Comitat, S. Croatia. 28,3mm.
Original picture provided by R. Stanić (HR).
– (CC BY-NC-SA) – |