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Image of Solemya elarraichensis P. G. Oliver, Rodrigues & Cunha 2011
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Solemya elarraichensis P. G. Oliver, Rodrigues & Cunha 2011

Solemya elarraichensis

provided by wikipedia EN

Solemya elarraichensis is a species of marine bivalve mollusc in the family Solemyidae. It is endemic to the deep-water mud volcano slopes in the Gulf of Cadiz in the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

Description

Solemya elarraichensis reaches a maximum length of about 35 mm (1.4 in). The fragile valves are equal in size and subcylindrical, with the beaks nearer the posterior end. The beaks are indistinct and the umbos sunken, and there are no hinge teeth. The ligament connecting the valves is primarily internal. The exterior of the shell is sculpted by fine radial ridges, about five at the posterior end and eleven at the anterior end. The shell has a persistent thin periostracum which extends beyond the valve margins. It is yellowish-brown at first but darkens with age.[2]

Distribution and habitat

Solemya elarraichensis is endemic to the volcanic area in the Gulf of Cadiz, off the coast of Spain. The whole area is under compressive deformation and mud volcanism and the processes associated with the escape of hydrocarbon-rich fluids sustain a broad diversity of chemosynthetic organisms. The area includes over forty mud volcanoes, a type of cold seep, at depths between 200 and 4,000 m (656 and 13,123 ft), and active methane seepage occurs in several places.[2]

References

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Solemya elarraichensis: Brief Summary

provided by wikipedia EN

Solemya elarraichensis is a species of marine bivalve mollusc in the family Solemyidae. It is endemic to the deep-water mud volcano slopes in the Gulf of Cadiz in the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

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Description

provided by Zookeys
Shell(Figs 2, 3): to 35mm in length. Fragile. Equivalve. Inequilateral, beaks situated at 1/4 length of shell from posterior margin. Outline subcylindrical, compressed, length about 2.6 times height, slightly deeper towards the anterior, dorsal and ventral margins subparallel, anterior margin more broadly rounded than anterior, posterior dorsal margin projecting a little. Beaks indistinct, umbos sunken. Hinge teeth absent. Ligament primarily internal, supported by a prominent chondrophore that extends only slightly as a chondrophore ridge around the posterior adductor, lacking posterior and anterior extensions but a small roughly heart shaped area is present in front of the chondrophore and this is also visible externally just behind the beaks. Periostracum persistent and extending well beyond the shell margin, initially yellowish brown in colour but darkening with growth to a dark chestnut brown. Sculpture of weak radial ridges, 5–6 over the posterior and 10–12 over median and anterior. Adductor scars impressed, dorsal part of posterior scar angulate where bounded by chondrophore ridge, anterior adductor scar larger, spatulate in outline. Anatomy(Figs 3G, 4): The posterior siphonal opening is surrounded by a series of papillae: A single large dorsal papilla (dp) lies above two smaller but still large papillae (dmp) on the dorsal margin of the opening, below these is a short smooth section (sa) followed by a series of papillae increasing in size towards the ventral margin, there are 6 primary papillae (psp) on either side and a single ventral median papillae, between these on the inner side are smaller papillae (ssp); a pair of subsiphonal ridges (ssr) are present below the siphonal crown. The mantle edge is fused from the posterior siphon for half the length of the ventral margin where there is a large anterior pedal gape. The mantle edge surrounding the rear of the foot bears a few tabulate papillae (pgp). The anterior dorsal mantle edge is prominently papillate (dap) and there is a single papilla on the junction of the mantle edge anterior of the anterior adductor muscle (admp). The foot is very large with a broad oval sole, this fringed by large papillae, all equal in size. The ctenidium is large with numerous laminar filaments attached to a prominent gill axis. The palps are short, twisted and flattened with cup shaped terminations. The gut is present but difficult to examine due to its small dimensions but the hind gut and rectum were easily visible.
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Graham Olive, Clara F. Rodrigues, Marina R. Cunha
bibliographic citation
Olive G, Rodrigues C, Cunha M (2011) Chemosymbiotic bivalves from the mud volcanoes of the Gulf of Cadiz, NE Atlantic, with descriptions of new species of Solemyidae, Lucinidae and Vesicomyidae ZooKeys 113: 1–38
author
Graham Olive
author
Clara F. Rodrigues
author
Marina R. Cunha
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Distribution

provided by Zookeys
Solemya (Petrasma) elarraichensisis presently only known from the mud volcano fields in the Gulf of Cadiz, Eastern Atlantic. The majority of specimens have been taken from the El Arraiche field off the coast of Morocco in Kidd, Fíuza and Mercator MVs and the Pen Duick Escarpment at depths between 358–560m. A few specimens have been taken from the Western Moroccan field at the Meknès, Yuma, Ginsburg and Darwin MVs at the slightly deeper range of 700–1115m.
license
cc-by-3.0
copyright
Graham Olive, Clara F. Rodrigues, Marina R. Cunha
bibliographic citation
Olive G, Rodrigues C, Cunha M (2011) Chemosymbiotic bivalves from the mud volcanoes of the Gulf of Cadiz, NE Atlantic, with descriptions of new species of Solemyidae, Lucinidae and Vesicomyidae ZooKeys 113: 1–38
author
Graham Olive
author
Clara F. Rodrigues
author
Marina R. Cunha
original
visit source
partner site
Zookeys