Lucina pensylvanica
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| Lucina pensylvanica | |
|---|---|
_(San_Salvador_Island,_Bahamas)_2_(16188530671).jpg) | |
| Lucina pensylvanica shell | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Lucinida |
| Superfamily: | Lucinoidea |
| Family: | Lucinidae |
| Genus: | Lucina |
| Species: | L. pensylvanica |
| Binomial name | |
| Lucina pensylvanica | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Lucina pensylvanica, commonly known as the Pennsylvania lucine,[2] is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Lucinidae.
This mollusc was first described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus, who gave it the name Venus pensylvanica. He spelt the specific name incorrectly, with only a single "n" in the first syllable, but by the law of priority laid down in the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, the original spelling is retained even if it contained an error. The mollusc has since been reassigned to the genus Lucina, becoming Lucina pensylvanica.[2]
Description
Lucina pensylvanica is nearly circular in shape and grows to a maximum size of about 50 mm (2 in). There is a marked groove on the posterior side of the valves and the concentric sculpturing is somewhat irregular. The valves are largely white, but remnants of the brownish periostracum may remain in the form of calcified scales.[3] These scales contain calcareous granules and have a thin layer of prismatic aragonite on their ventral surfaces, which gives an unusual flexibility to the margin of the valve.[4]