Pharus legumen

Pharus legumen
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Adapedonta
Family: Pharidae
Genus: Pharus
Species:
P. legumen
Binomial name
Pharus legumen
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Pharus legumen (also known as the bean razor clam or the bean solen), is a species of bivalve mollusc commonly found burrowed in the sand on lower shores and in the shallow sublittoral.[1][2][3][4]

Description

Pharus legumen is up to 130mm long and has a characteristic bean-shaped shell. The shell colour ranges from white to light brown and it displays a light olive to yellow periostracum. The right valve has a single cardinal tooth and a short peg-like posterior lateral tooth, whereas the left valve has two elongated and closely spaced cardinal teeth and a single posterior lateral tooth.[4]

Distribution

Pharus legumen is commonly found in the English Channel, in the north-east Atlantic and in the Mediterranean Sea.[5]

Similar species

Pharus legumen is similar to other species of razor clam of the genus Ensis, Phaxas and Solen. The key feature to identify it is the presence of a ligament in the middle third of the shell.[4]

Invalid taxonomic names

  • Solen legumen Linnaeus, 1758
  • Ceratisolen legumiformis (Locard, 1886)
  • Ceratisolen legumen (Step, 1927)[6]

References

  1. ^ "Taxonomy Browser". www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. US: National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
  2. ^ "Pharus legumen (Linnaeus, 1758), Marine Bivalve Shells of the British Isles". naturalhistory.museumwales.ac.uk. Britain: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
  3. ^ "Pharus legumen, NBN Atlas". species.nbnatlas.org. United Kingdom: National Biodiversity Network. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
  4. ^ a b c Hayward, Peter J.; Ryland, John S. (2017-02-02), "The Marine Environment of North-West Europe", Handbook of the Marine Fauna of North-West Europe, Oxford University Press, pp. 1–18, doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199549443.003.0001, ISBN 9780199549443
  5. ^ "Pharus legumen | DORIS". doris.ffessm.fr. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
  6. ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Pharus legumen (Linnaeus, 1758)". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2019-02-24.