Soletellina nitida

Taxobox
name = "Soletellina nitida"
status =


image_caption
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Mollusca
classis = Bivalvia
subclassis = Heterodonta
ordo = Veneroida
superfamilia = Tellinoidea
familia = Psammobiidae
genus = "Soletellina"
species = "S. nitida"
binomial = "Soletellina nitida"
binomial_authority = (Gray, 1835)
synonyms = "Psammobia nitida" Gray, 1843

"Soletellina nitida", or the shining sunset shell, is a bivalve mollusc of the family Psammobiidae.

Distribution

The shining sunset shell is endemic to New Zealand including the Chatham Islands

Habitat

The shining sunset shell is found buried in sand from low tide to depths of up to 5 m, on open beaches.

description

The shell is fragile, elongated, of oval shape with the hinge one third of the way along the dorsal margin. The olive periostracum is frequently worn off revealing a chalky white shell beneath. The interior is purple.

Height is up to 23 mm, length up to 46 mm, and thickness up to 7 mm.clear

References

* Powell A. W. B., "New Zealand Mollusca", William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1