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MYTILIDAE |
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Amygdalum beddomei Iredale, 1924 Description: Shape equivalve, inequilateral, very elongate, fragile, light in weight, with umbo a little behind anterior end. Dorsal margin nearly straight; postero-dorsal end greatly extended, broadly rounded; ventral margin straight or slightly concave. Hinge without teeth. Ligament long. Interior smooth, slightly nacreous, white; muscle scars not evident. Exterior smooth. Colour of exterior white beneath periostracum, exterior with brown zigzags that are strongest posteriorly. Periostracum thin, smooth, glossy, fawn, worn away anteriorly. Size: Up to 53 mm in length. Distribution: Cape Moreton, Queensland, southwards and around southern Australia to south-western WA, including Tasmania. Habitat: Known from 8-149 m depth. Macpherson & Gabriel (1962) said “the animals form nests for themselves with the copious threads of the byssus”. Synonymy: This species may be the same as the New Zealand fossil Lithodomus striatus Hutton, 1873, but further study is required to determine if they are the same species. If they are, the Australian species would be Amygdalum striatum (Hutton, 1873). Fig. 1: Off Eden, NSW, in 73 m (C.64591)
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