The prickly jingle shell is found on rocks and broken shells 

 (Abbott 1974), and on stones and seaweed (Morris 1951). 



Our samples occurred in all sediment types considered in 

 this report. The coarser sediments, gravel, sand-gravel, till, 

 and sand, contained the majority of samples (82%) and speci- 

 mens (84%); finer sediments, not offering as good a substra- 

 tum for attachment, accounted for significantly fewer sam- 

 ples and specimens (Table 127). There are 62 samples contain- 

 ing 1,148 specimens which are unclassified with regard to 

 sediment type. 



Family LIMIDAE 



Genus Limatula Wood 1839. 



Limatula subauriculata (Montagu 1808). Small-eared lima. Fig- 

 ure 51. 



The small-eared lima is widely distributed in the North 

 Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans. In the Atlantic it ranges 

 from Greenland to Puerto Rico and the West Indies; in the 

 Pacific it ranges from Alaska to Mexico: it is also found in 

 northwest Europe (Johnson 1934; La Rocque 1953; Morris 

 1973; Abbott 1974). The distribution of this species in Arctic 

 regions is outlined by Ocklemann (1958), and for Europe and 

 the British Isles by Tebble (1966). 



Limatula subauriculata is a moderately common cool wa- 

 ter bivalve which is represented by 328 specimens from 14 

 samples in the NEFC collection (Table 5). 



Our samples occupy the edge of the continental shelf and 

 mid to upper portions of the continental slope from Nova 

 Scotia to slightly south of Delaware Bay (Fig. 51; Theroux 

 and Wigley footnote 4. table 83). 



This species occupies the subarctic-boreal and Mediterra- 

 nean-Atlantic provinces (Ockelmann 1958). 



The small-eared lima has a wide bathymetric range, being 

 found in water depths from 4 to 1 ,830 m (Tebble 1966: Abbott 

 1974); in the Arctic, Ockelmann (1958) reported it to range 

 from 7 m in the Faroes to possibly 3,300 m in depth. 



Our samples range from 114 to 1,800 m in depth with a mean 

 of 844 m. The majority of samples (43%) are in the 1 .000-1 .999 

 m depth range grouping: however, the largest number of 

 specimens (93%) is in the 200-499 m grouping. Twenty-one 

 percent of the samples are in both the 100-199 m and 200-499 

 m groupings while 14% of the samples are in the 500-999 m 

 grouping. With regard to specimens the 100-199 m depth 

 range grouping contains 2% of the specimens, the 1 ,000-1 ,999 

 m grouping, 5%, and less than 1% of the specimens are in the 

 500-999 m depth range grouping (Table 128). 



This species is found in gravel, sandy gravel, and muddy 

 substrates (Tebble 1966). 



The majority of our samples (36%) occurred is silt, 29% of 

 samples occurred in both sand and silty sand, and 7% of the 

 samples occurred in sand-gravel substrates. The majority of 

 specimens (94%) occurred in sand . while 3 and 2% occurred in 

 silty sand and silt, respectively. Less than 1% occurred in 

 sand-gravel (Table 129). 



Limatula sp. Figure 51. 



There are 14 samples containing 22 specimens identified as 

 Limatula sp. in the NEFC collection (Table 5). 



The samples containing members of this genus are distri- 

 buted from between Cape Hatteras and Cape Fear, N.C., to 

 slightly north of Miami, Fla. (Fig. 51; Theroux and Wigley 

 footnote 4, table 84). 



Our samples range in depth from 22 to 595 m with a mean of 

 172 m. Thirty-six percent of the samples and specimens are in 

 the 200-499 m depth range grouping: 22% of the samples and 

 14% of the specimens are in the 25-49 m grouping; the 0-24 m 

 and 50-99 m groupings each contain 14% of the samples, but 

 27 and 9% of the specimens, respectively; the 100-199 m and 

 500-999 m groupings each contain 7% of the samples, but 9 

 and 5% of the specimens, respectively (Table 130). 



Silt substrates contained 43% of the samples and 41% of the 

 specimens while sand-shell and sand each contained 21% of 

 the samples, and 32 and 18% of the specimens, respectively; 

 sand-gravel and silty sand substrates contained 7% of the 

 samples and 5% of the specimens, respectively (Table 131). 



Family OSTREIDAE 

 Genus Ostrea Linne 1758. 



Ostrea sp. Figure 79. 



The NEFC collection contains one specimen from one 

 sample of an unidentifiable oyster which was classified to the 

 generic level of Ostrea sp. (Table 5). 



The single sample of this taxon is from the continental shelf 

 south of Cape Fear, N.C. (Fig. 79; Theroux and Wigley 

 footnote 4, table 135). 



The depth of the water at the sampling site is 25 m. placing it 

 in the 25-49 m depth range grouping; the sediment type is 

 shell. 



Genus Crassostrea Sacco 1897. 



Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin 1791). American oyster. Figure 

 31. 



Crassostrea virginica is one of the most valuable of com- 

 mercially exploited shellfish stocks. Oysters have been used 

 by man since the dawn of history . and have existed as a group 

 for millions of years. In 1978 total U.S. landings yielded 51 

 million pounds of meats valued at $60.9 million, an increase of 

 5 million pounds and $8.4 million compared with 1977 (Pileggi 

 and Thompson, 1979). 



This species is reported to occur from the Gulf of St. 

 Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico: it also occurs in the West 

 Indies and at Panama (Johnson 1934; La Rocque 1953: Ockel- 

 mann 1958: Tebble 1966; Abbott 1968, 1974; Morris 1973; 

 Emerson et al. 1976). 



Although the American oyster is very common within the 

 area reported on, there is only one specimen from one sample 

 in the NEFC collection (Table 5). This lack is a direct result of 

 this organism's choice of habitat in the intertidal and subtidal 

 regions of bays, sounds, and estuaries which are outside the 

 area of responsibility of this Center. 



The specimen in our collection is from shallow water in the 

 midsection of Cape Cod, Mass. (Fig. 31; Theroux and Wigley 

 footnote 4, table 49). 



The zoogeographic distribution of this species includes the 

 Boreal, Virginian, Carolinian, Caribbean, and Celtic pro- 

 vinces (Coomans 1962); Dance (1974) placed it in the Trans- 



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