Lima lima, or the spiny fileclam,[2] is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Limidae.[3]

Lima lima
Lama lima from Sicily on display at the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Limida
Family: Limidae
Genus: Lima
Species:
L. lima
Binomial name
Lima lima
Synonyms
  • Lima alba Cuvier, 1797
  • Lima squamosa Lamarck, 1801
  • Lima vulgaris Scacchi, 1836
  • Ostrea lima Linnaeus, 1758

[1]

Description

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The shell of an adult Lima lima can be as long as 30–79 millimetres (1.2–3.1 in). The surface of the valves show 18–24 strong ribs[4] covered with small scales. These clams are filter feeders.

Distribution and habitat

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This species can be found in the Mediterranean Sea, in the Eastern Atlantic and in Caribbean waters, ranging from southern Florida to the West Indies and Bermuda. It lives on rocky bottoms and coral, usually in the seagrass prairies of Posidonia oceanica, at depths of 0 to 50-metre (160 ft).

References

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  1. ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Lima lima (Linnaeus, 1758)". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  2. ^ "ITIS - Report: Lima lima". www.itis.gov. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  3. ^ Morton, Brian (1979-04-01). "A comparison of lip structure and function correlated with other aspects of the functional morphology of Lima lima , Limaria ( Platilimaria ) fragilis , and Limaria ( Platilimaria ) hongkongensis sp.nov. (Bivalvia: Limacea)". Canadian Journal of Zoology. 57 (4): 728–742. doi:10.1139/z79-091. ISSN 0008-4301.
  4. ^ "Species Page". www.rkapeller.eu. Retrieved 2023-03-30.

Further reading

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  • Abbott, R.T. & Morris, P.A. A Field Guide to Shells: Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and the West Indies. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1995. 32.
  • Egidio Trainito; Mauro Doneddu, Conchiglie del Mediterraneo, 2005ª ed., Milano, Il Castello, 2005.
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