EAST COAST MARINE SHELLS 



37 



GENUS ANOMIA Llnng 1758 (JINGLE SHELLS) 



ANOMIA ACOLEATA Linne. Thorny Jingle. 

 Much smaller than A. simplex; surface 

 roughened by prickly scales; lower valve 

 very thin; perforation almost circular. 

 Diam. 1£ mm. Range 1-80 fathoms. 



PI. 72, Figs. 5-8 



Arctic Ocean to Cape Hatteras, 



North Carolina 



ANOMIA SIMPLEX Orbigny. Plain Jingle. The 

 most plentiful species and the largest of 

 the genus on the Atlantic coast. It is 

 irregular in shape, conforming to the sur- 

 face upon which it lives; surface of shell 

 waved or undulated. Diam. 1-3 inches. 



Single valves, almost invariably 

 the upper without hole, are frequently 

 found upon the beaches. They are very 

 fragile, brightly colored and have a pe- 

 culiar sheen. This Anomia was dredged by 

 the writer in large numbers off Cape Ro- 

 mano, west Florida 



PI. 10, Fig. 6 



PI. 72, Figs. 1, 2 



Nova Scotia to West Indies 



GENUS PODODESMUS Philippl 1837 



Left valve with only two muscular 

 impressions, otherwise like Anomia. 



PODODESMUS DECIPIENS Philippi (Placunan- 

 omia rudis Brod.). Shell irregular, vary- 

 ing from oval to somewhat elongate; lower 

 valve flatter than upper; byssal opening 

 round-oval or partially closed in old In- 

 dividuals; fine ridges crossed by scaly 

 growth lines; inside lustrous, a brown 

 spot often in center of lower valve. Col- 

 or greenish or white. Length 40 mm.; 

 diam. 6 mm. 



There is one large muscular impres- 

 sion and a smaller one below it. 



PI. 10, Fig. 13 



Cedar Keys, Florida to West Indies; 



Bermuda; Argentina 



Family Mytilidae 



Shell equivalve; hinge ligament 

 marginal and Internal, very long; anteri- 

 or muscular impression narrow and small, 

 posterior one large and obscure. 



The mussels are marine or fluvia- 



tile, attached by a byssus. They some- 

 times spin a nest from bits of shells and 

 sand, or burrow in soft wood or other sub- 

 stances. Certain of them are concealerl in 

 burrows of other shells. 



GENUS MYTILUS Linnfe 1758 (SEA MUSSELS) 



Shell wedge shaped; umbones ter- 

 minal; hinge usually without teeth; muscu- 

 lar impression club shaped. 



MYTILUS EDULIS Linng. Edible Mussel. An- 

 terior margin usually straight, convex or 

 excavated; distinct opening for byssus; 

 violet color; epidermis glossy blue-black; 

 interior white, silver in centre, edge 

 dark. 



When the epidermis is removed four 

 teeth may be observed under the lunbones. 

 Length 2.5 inches. 



Many sizes and colors occur, some 

 beautifully rayed, smooth, dingy, the ju- 

 veniles often bearded. They live In count- 

 less numbers attached by the byssus on 

 rocks and timbers in shallow water and not 

 far from the high-tide mark. In Europe 

 this species is used extensively as food 

 for man and is said to be quite palatable. 



PI. 11, Fig. 1 



Greenland to North Carolina 



MYTILUS RECURVUS Rafinesque. (M. hamatus 

 Say). Bent Mussel. Surface densely stri- 

 ated, color dark; twisted below umbones. 

 Length 1-2 inches. An abundant shell in 

 Florida. 



PI. 10, Fig. 8 



Rhode Island around coast to Texas; 



West Indies 



MYTILUS EXUSTUS Linn6. More or less fan- 

 shaped, strongly longitudinally striated; 

 often rayed with ochre color, or blotched 

 with black-brown or red inside and out. It 

 is known as the "Scorched Mussel." Length 

 32 mm. 



PI. 11, Fig. 5 



North Carolina around coast to 



Texas; West Indies 



GENUS MODIOLUS Lamarck 1799; 

 Volsella of authors (HORSE MUSSELS) 



Wedge shaped; umbones very close 

 to anterior end. They burrow or make 

 nests. 



