Nucula


Nucula is a genus of very small saltwater clams. They are part of the family Nuculidae.

Fossil records

This genus is very ancient. Fossils are known from the Arenig to the Quaternary. Fossils are found in the marine strata all over the world.

Description

Shells of species within this genus can reach a size of about. They are equivalve, symmetrical, approximately triangular. The surface has fine concentric growth lines. These clams live in the muddy sand close to the sediment surface at a depth of 20 to 200 meters.

Species

Nowadays there are still many species of this genus, which have had virtually no change in the course of time. Species within the genus Nucula include:Nucula annulata Hampson, 1971 Nucula atacellana Schenck, 1939 - cancellate nutclam Nucula austrobenthalis Dell, 1990Nucula beachportensis Verco, 1907Nucula benguelana Nucula brasiliana Esteves, 1984Nucula calcicola Moore, 1977 - reef nutclam Nucula callicredemna Dall, 1890Nucula cancellata Meek & Hayden, 1856 Nucula cardara Dall, 1916 Nucula carlottensis Dall, 1897 - Charlotte nutclam Nucula certisinus Finlay, 1930 Nucula chrysocome Nucula consentanea Melvill & Standen, 1907Nucula covra Bergmans, 1978Nucula crassicostata E. A. Smith, 1872Nucula crassidens Nicklès, 1955Nucula crenulata A. Adams, 1856 - crenulate nutclam Nucula crystallina Poppe, Tagaro & Stahlschmidt, 2015Nucula culebrensis E. A. Smith, 1885Nucula cymella Dall, 1886 Nucula darella Dall, 1916 Nucula declivis Hinds, 1843Nucula delphinodonta Mighels & C. B. Adams, 1842 - dolphintooth nutclam Nucula distincta Turton, 1932Nucula donaciformis E. A. Smith, 1895Nucula dorsocrenata Nucula dunedinensis Finlay, 1928 Nucula exigua G. B. Sowerby I, 1833 - iridescent nutclam, short nutclam Nucula exodonta Prashad, 1932Nucula faba Xu, 1999Nucula falklandica Preston, 1912Nucula fernandensis Villarroel, 1971Nucula fernandinae Dall, 1927 Nucula gallinacea Finlay, 1930 Nucula granulosa Verrill, 1884 Nucula groenlandica Posselt, 1898 - Greenland nutclam Nucula hanleyi Winckworth, 1931Nucula hartvigiana Dohrn, 1864 Nucula hawaiensis Pilsbry, 1921Nucula inconspicua H. Adams, 1871Nucula insignis Nucula interflucta Marincovich, 1973Nucula iphigenia Dall, 1896Nucula irregularis G. B. Sowerby III, 1904Nucula izushotoensis Nucula kanaka Bergmans, 1991Nucula kerguelensis Thiele, 1912Nucula libera Bergmans, 1991Nucula malabarica Hanley, 1860Nucula mariae Nolf, 2005Nucula marmorea Hinds, 1843Nucula marshalli Schenck, 1939Nucula mayi Nucula mesembrina Nucula mitralis Hinds, 1843Nucula multidentata Prashad, 1933Nucula nicklesi Cosel, 1995Nucula nitidosa Winckworth, 1930 Nucula nitidula A. Adams, 1856 Nucula nitidulaformis Powell, 1971 Nucula notobenthalis Thiele, 1912Nucula nucleus Nucula oppressa Bergmans, 1991Nucula papillifera Thiele & Jaeckel, 1931Nucula paulula A. Adams, 1856Nucula percrassa Nucula pisum G. B. Sowerby I, 1833Nucula planiculmen Kilburn, 1999Nucula praetenta Iredale, 1924Nucula profundorum E. A. Smith, 1885Nucula proxima Say, 1822 - Atlantic nutclam Nucula pseudoexigua Villarroel & Stuardo, 1998Nucula pusilla Angas, 1877Nucula recens Dell, 1956Nucula revei Bergmans, 1978Nucula rhytidopleura Kilburn, 1999Nucula rossiana Finlay, 1930 Nucula rugulosa G. B. Sowerby I, 1833Nucula saltator Nucula schencki Hertlein & Strong, 1940Nucula sculpturata G. B. Sowerby III, 1904Nucula semen Thiele & Jaeckel, 1931Nucula semiornata d'Orbigny, 1842Nucula sericea Thiele & Jaeckel, 1931Nucula striolata A. Adams, 1856Nucula suahelica Nucula subluxa Kilburn, 1999Nucula subovata Verrill & Bush, 1898 Nucula sulcata Bronn, 1831 Nucula sultana Thiele & Jaeckel, 1931Nucula surinamensis Van Regteren Altena, 1968Nucula tamatavica Odhner, 1943Nucula tenuis Nucula tersior Marwick, 1929 †Nucula thielei Schenck, 1939Nucula tokyoensis Yokoyama, 1920Nucula torresi E. A. Smith, 1885Nucula trigonica Lan & Lee, 2001Nucula tumidula Nucula venezuelana Weisbord, 1964Nucula vincentiana Nucula zophos A. H. Clark, 1960

Extinct species

Extinct species within the genus Nucula include:
  • N. alcocki † Noetling 1895
  • N. andersoni † Clark & Durham 1946
  • N. assiniboiensis † Russell & Landes 1937
  • N. athabaskensis † McLearn 1931
  • N. brewsterensis † Hassan 1953
  • N. cancellata † Meek & Hayden 1857
  • N. cancellata † Vredenburg 1928
  • N. catalina † Olsson 1930
  • N. chrysocoma † Dall 1908
  • N. cilleborgensis † Ravn 1907
  • N. concinna † Sowerby 1836
  • N. cossmanni † Vincent 1892
  • N. costaeimbricatus † Newton 1922
  • N. crepida † Marwick 1931
  • N. cunifrons † Conrad 1860
  • N. domandaensis † Eames 1951
  • N. gabbiana † Dickerson 1916
  • N. greppina † Deshayes 1858
  • N. major † Richards 1944
  • N. mancorensis † Olsson 1931
  • N. martini † Finlay 1927
  • N. micheleae † Marincovich jr. 1993
  • N. morundiana † Tate 1886
  • N. narica † Vredenburg 1928
  • N. nejdensis † Abbass 1972
  • N. njalindugensis † Martin 1919
  • N. observatoria † Ihering 1907
  • N. orbicella † Olsson 1922
  • N. paboensis † Olsson 1931
  • N. paytensis † Adams 1856
  • N. piacentina † Lamarck
  • N. pilkeyi † Ward & Blackwelder 1987
  • N. planimarginata † Meek & Hayden 1857
  • N. praemissa † Semper 1861
  • N. prunicola † Dall 1898
  • N. rembangensis † Martin 1919
  • N. reticularis † Ortmann 1900
  • N. sedanensis † Haanstra & Spiker 1932
  • N. semistriata † Tate 1886
  • N. shaleri † Dall 1894
  • N. sinaria † Dall 1898
  • N. stantoni † Stephenson 1923
  • N. studeri † d'Archiac 1850
  • N. subrotundata † Morningstar 1922
  • N. subtransversa † Nyst 1844
  • N. suprastriata † Arnold 1903
  • N. tallahalaensis † Dockery 1982
  • N. taphria † Dall 1898
  • N. tatriana † King 1850
  • N. tersior † Marwick 1929
  • N. tumida † Tenison Woods 1877
  • N. turgens † Wood 1879
  • N. venezuelana † Weisbord 1964
  • N. ventricosa † Hall 1868
  • N. vestigia † Marwick 1929
  • N. vicksburgensis † Conrad 1848
  • N. waikuraensis † Marwick 1931
  • N. washingtonensis † Weaver 1916