Lithophaga
Encyclopedia
Lithophaga, the date mussels, are a genus
of medium-sized marine
bivalve molluscs in the family
Mytilidae
.
The shells of species in this genus are long and narrow with parallel sides. The animals bore
into stone or coral rock with the help of pallial gland secretions, hence the systematic name Lithophaga, which means "stone-eater". Their club-shaped borings are given the trace fossil
name Gastrochaenolites
.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of medium-sized marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
bivalve molluscs in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Mytilidae
Mytilidae
Mytilidae is a family of small to large saltwater mussels, marine bivalve mollusks in the order Mytiloida. It is the only family in the order...
.
The shells of species in this genus are long and narrow with parallel sides. The animals bore
Bioerosion
Bioerosion describes the erosion of hard ocean substrates – and less often terrestrial substrates – by living organisms. Marine bioerosion can be caused by mollusks, polychaete worms, phoronids, sponges, crustaceans, echinoids, and fish; it can occur on coastlines, on coral reefs, and...
into stone or coral rock with the help of pallial gland secretions, hence the systematic name Lithophaga, which means "stone-eater". Their club-shaped borings are given the trace fossil
Trace fossil
Trace fossils, also called ichnofossils , are geological records of biological activity. Trace fossils may be impressions made on the substrate by an organism: for example, burrows, borings , urolites , footprints and feeding marks, and root cavities...
name Gastrochaenolites
Gastrochaenolites
Gastrochaenolites is a trace fossil formed as a clavate boring in a hard substrate such as a shell, rock or carbonate hardground. The aperture of the boring is narrower than the main chamber and may be circular, oval, or dumb-bell shaped...
.
Species
Species within the genus Lithophaga include:- Lithophaga antillarumLithophaga antillarumLithophaga antillarum, or the giant date mussel, is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Mytilidae. It can be found along the Atlantic coast of North America, ranging from southern Florida to the West Indies and Brazil....
(d'OrbignyAlcide d'OrbignyAlcide Charles Victor Marie Dessalines d'Orbigny was a French naturalist who made major contributions in many areas, including zoology , palaeontology, geology, archaeology and anthropology....
, 1842) - giant date mussel - Lithophaga aristataLithophaga aristataLithophaga aristata, or the scissor date mussel, is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Mytilidae. It can be found along the Atlantic coast of North America, ranging from North Carolina to Texas and the West Indies....
(DillwynLewis Weston DillwynLewis Weston Dillwyn, FRS was a British porcelain manufacturer, naturalist and Member of Parliament.He was born in Walthamstow, Essex, the eldest son of William Dillwyn and Sarah Dillwyn...
, 1817) - scissor date mussel - Lithophaga attenuata (DeshayesGérard Paul DeshayesGérard Paul Deshayes was a French geologist and conchologist.He was born in Nancy, his father at that time being professor of experimental physics in the École Centrale of the Meurthe département....
, 1836) - attenuated date mussel - Lithophaga balanas Dall
- Lithophaga balanus Dall
- Lithophaga bisulcataLithophaga bisulcataLithophaga bisulcata, or the mahogany date mussel, is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Mytilidae. It can be found along the Atlantic coast of North America, ranging from North Carolina to the West Indies and Bermuda....
(d'OrbignyAlcide d'OrbignyAlcide Charles Victor Marie Dessalines d'Orbigny was a French naturalist who made major contributions in many areas, including zoology , palaeontology, geology, archaeology and anthropology....
, 1842) - mahogany date mussel - Lithophaga cardigera
- Lithophaga cavernosa
- Lithophaga cinnamomeus
- Lithophaga dactylus
- Lithophaga fasciola Dall, Bartsch, & Rehder
- Lithophaga gracilis PhilippiRodolfo Amando PhilippiRodolfo Amando Philippi was a German-Chilean paleontologist and zoologist....
- Lithophaga hawaia Dall, Bartsch, & Rehder
- Lithophaga ilabis (DeshayesGérard Paul DeshayesGérard Paul Deshayes was a French geologist and conchologist.He was born in Nancy, his father at that time being professor of experimental physics in the École Centrale of the Meurthe département....
) - Lithophaga lithophaga (LinneCarolus LinnaeusCarl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
) - Lithophaga nigraLithophaga nigraLithophaga nigra, or the black date mussel, is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Mytilidae. It can be found along the Atlantic coast of North America, ranging from southern Florida to the West Indies....
(d'OrbignyAlcide d'OrbignyAlcide Charles Victor Marie Dessalines d'Orbigny was a French naturalist who made major contributions in many areas, including zoology , palaeontology, geology, archaeology and anthropology....
, 1842) - black date mussel - Lithophaga plumula (Hanley, 1844) - feather date mussel
- Lithophaga punctata (Kleemann & Hoeksema, 2002)
- Lithophaga rogersi S. S. Berry, 1957 - Roger's date mussel
- Lithophaga truncataLithophaga truncataLithophaga truncata is a date mussel, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Mytilidae.thumb|left|200px|Lithophaga truncata inside view, showing the iridescence-References:...
(Gray, 1843) - Lithophaga simplex