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Solemya borealis

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Solemya borealis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Solemyida
Family: Solemyidae
Genus: Solemya
Species:
S. borealis
Binomial name
Solemya borealis
Lamarck, 1818

Solemya borealis , the boreal awning clam, is a species of saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Solemyidae the awning clams. This species is found along the northeastern coast of North America, from Nova Scotia to Connecticut.[1]

S. borealis belong to the Petrasma subgenus; being characterized by having an elongated oval shell with parallel ventral and dorsal margins. Individuals may reach a length of 8 to 10 cm and have a periostracum of dark brown color.

Nutritionally, S. borealis contains concentrations of chemoautotrophic bacteria in inner gill filaments, symbiotically attached to the host.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Abbott, R.T. & Morris, P.A. A Field Guide to Shells: Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and the West Indies. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1995. 1.
  2. ^ Conway, N.M., Howes, B.L., McDowell Capuzzo, J.E. et al. Characterization and site description of Solemya borealis (Bivalvia; Solemyidae), another bivalve-bacteria symbiosis. Marine Biology 112, 601–613 (1992).