The Semelidae are a family of saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs in the order Cardiida.
Description
Members of this family have rounded or oval, elongated shells, much flattened. The two valves are connected by an internal ligament in contrast to the closely related family Tellinidae where the ligament is external. The two separate siphons are very long, sometimes several times the length of the shell. These siphons have a characteristic cruciform muscle at their base.
Selected genera
Genera of Semelidae (with some notable species also listed) include:
- Abra <small>Lamarck, 1818</small>
- Abra aequalis <small>(Say, 1822)</small>
- Abra alba <small> (Wood W., 1802) </small>
- Abra californica <small>Kundsen, 1970</small>
- Abra lioica <small>(Dall, 1881)</small>
- Abra longicallis <small>Sacchi, 1836</small>
- Abra nitida <small>(O. F. Mueller, 1776)</small>
- Abra pacifica <small>Dall, 1915</small>
- Abra prismatica
- Abra profundorum <small>E. A. Smith, 1885</small>
- Abra tenuis <small>(Montagu, 1818)</small>
- Abra tepocana <small>Dall, 1915</small>
- Argyrodonax <small>Dall, 1911</small>
- Cumingia <small>G. B. Sowerby I, 1833</small>
- Cumingia californica <small>Conrad, 1837</small>
- Cumingia coarctata <small>G. B. Sowerby I, 1833</small>
- Cumingia tellinoides <small>(Conrad, 1831)</small>
- Ervilia <small>Turton, 1822</small>
- Ervilia bisculpta <small> Gould, 1861</small>
- Ervilia castanea <small> (Montagu, 1803)</small>
- Ervilia concentrica <small> (Holmes, 1860)</small>
- Ervilia nitens <small> (Montagu, 1808)</small>
- Ervilia producta <small> Odhner, 1922</small>
- Ervilia purpurea <small> (Smith, 1906)</small>
- Ervilia scaliola
- Iacra <small>H. Adams & A. Adams, 1856</small>
- Leptomya <small>A. Adams, 1864</small>
- Leptomya retiara aucklandica <small>Powell</small>
- Leptomya retiara retiara <small>(Hutton, 1885)</small>
- Leptomyaria <small>Habe, 1960</small>
- Lonoa <small>Dall, Bartsch & Rehder, 1938</small>
- Montrouzieria <small>Souverbie, 1863</small>
- Rochefortina <small>Dall, 1924</small>
- Scrobicularia <small>Schumacher, 1815</small>
- Scrobicularia plana â Peppery furrow shell
- Semele <small>Schumacher, 1817</small>
- Semele bellastriata <small>(Conrad, 1837)</small>
- Semele brambleyae <small>(Powell, 1967)</small>
- Semele decisa <small>(Conrad, 1837)</small>
- Semele incongrua <small>Carpenter, 1864</small>
- Semele proficua <small>(Pulteney, 1799)</small>
- Semele pulchra <small>(G. B. Sowerby I, 1832)</small>
- Semele purpurascens <small>(Gmelin, 1791)</small>
- Semele rubicola <small>Dall, 1915</small>
- Semele rubropicta <small>Dall, 1871</small>
- Semele rupicola <small>Dall, 1915</small>
- Semele venusta <small>(Reeve, 1853)</small>
- Semelina <small>Dall, 1900</small>
- Semelina nuculoides <small>(Conrad, 1841)</small>
- â Septeuilia <small>Cossmann, 1913</small>
- Souleyetia <small>Récluz, 1869</small>
- Theora <small>H. Adams and A. Adams, 1856</small>
- Theora lubrica <small>Gould, 1861</small>
- Theora mesopotamica <small>Annandale 1918</small>
- Thyellisca <small>H. E. Vokes, 1956</small>
References