Glossus humanus
Distribution and status
LocalDistributed from Norway south to the Iberian Peninsula and into the Mediterranean.
Ecology and behaviour
Burrows, beaks first, into mud or sandy mud leaving just the lower margin of the shell and siphon exposed. Feeds by filtering phytoplankton.
Key identification features
- Heart shaped when viewed from the side
- The beak curve spirally
Taxon version key
[NBNSYS0000175477]
Sort order
10890
Taxonomic group
Marine bivalve
Think solid shell up to 10cm in length. The shell is yellow-white in colour but this is usually obscured by a dark red-brown periostracum. The periostracum has short, firm hairs in lines radiating from the beaks. The pallial line shows no indentation for the pallial sinus.