Inside the valve pair of Abra alba
Species
Photographer / copyright holder
Steve Wilkinson
Specimen collected by Celia Pain from Cliff End, Sussex. Length = 12mm.
Abra alba
<em>Abra alba</em> (W Wood, 1802)
Abra alba
Species
Photographer / copyright holder
Steve Wilkinson
Specimen collected by Celia Pain from Cliff End, Sussex. Length = 12mm.
Abra alba
Vernacular names
White furrow shell
Distribution and status
Common. Found from the Norwegian Sea and the Baltic down to the Iberian Peninsula and into the Mediterranean and Black Seas.
Abra alba
The map provided here shows the distribution of the species based on Conchological Society data held by the National Biodiversity Network (NBN). See terms and conditions.
The following datasets are included:
- Conchological Society of Great Britain & Ireland: marine mollusc records
Open an NBN Atlas interactive map of this data in a new window.
Ecology and behaviour
Long siphons allow this species to burrow relatively deeply for its size (about 7cm down) in mud, silty sand and soft muddy gravel. Feeds on organic detritus picked up through the siphon. Can occur in high densities.
Key identification features
- Beaks clearly in one half of the shell
- Broadly oval in outline
References and links
Taxon details available from MolluscaBase (AphiaID 141433):
For the species account provided by Marine Bivalves of the British Isles click here.
The UK NBN Atlas entry for the species can be accessed via this link.
Taxon version key
[NBNSYS0000173540]
Sort order
10800
Taxonomic group
Marine bivalve
Brittle shell up to about 2cm in length. Interior and exterior of shell white and polished. Sculpture of fine concentric rings. Deep pallial sinus which is partially confluent with the pallial line.