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MYTILIDAE |
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Musculus alganus Laseron, 1956 Description: Shell very small, equivalve, inequilateral, elongate, light in weight, translucent, inflated; umbo behind anterior end, incurved, slightly projecting above dorsal margin. Shell oval in outline but wider posteriorly. Hinge without teeth. Ligament short, almost straight. Exterior with 3 sculptural panels; anterior panel with 3 or 4 radial ribs; posterior panel with faint, widely spaced radial ribs, often only evident at the margin; central panel with only concentric growth ridges. Interior with muscle scars obscure, surface slightly nacreous. Colour of exterior white or reddish with irregular brown patches or streaks. Periostracum unknown. Size: Up to 4 mm in length. Distribution: Known from northern NSW southwards to St Vincent Gulf, South Australia, including Tasmania. Habitat: Lives attached to algae in intertidal rock pools and down to at least 6 m depth. Comparison: This species is very small, only up to 4 mm in length. Fig. 1: Point Halliday, NSW (C.168097) Dried tissue inside shell.
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