Nucula proxima
| Nucula proxima | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Nuculida |
| Family: | Nuculidae |
| Genus: | Nucula |
| Species: | N. proxima
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| Binomial name | |
| Nucula proxima Say, 1822
| |
Nucula proxima, commonly known as the Atlantic nut clam, is a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Nuculidae. It can be found along the Atlantic coast of North America, ranging from Nova Scotia to Texas, including Bermuda.[1][2]
Description
[edit | edit source]Nucula proxima has a obliquely oval, off-white to gray, shell. The exterior is glossy smooth with brownish conmarginal growth lines. The interior is a nacreous white color with fine radial striations. The length ranges from 3 mm to 10 mm. Size, shape, and color vary based on where the species is environmentally, this has led to multiple named forms.[3]
Ecology
[edit | edit source]Nucula proxima typically lives on muddy-sand bottoms. Unlike most bivalves which are filter-feeders, N. proxima is a deposit-feeder. Thus it consumes decomposing organic matter film and bacteria that accumulates on the sea floor. They do this by using their labial palp, a proboscis likes structure that has a ciliated groove, to feed.[4][5]
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Abbott, R.T. & Morris, P.A. A Field Guide to Shells: Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and the West Indies. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1995. 3.
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