This bivalve looks like Cardita senegalensis based on the elongaeted shell on the posterior side of the shell. It also has a close resemblance to C. calyculata which has a shorter extension. Elevated blunt thorn-like structures are noticed in the ribs with mild orange dots.
Dear Vittorio Garilli, this is collected from the Gulf of Mannar, SE coast of India.
Dear Deepak,
As i saw C. senegalensis seems to be distributed only in the coasts of Senegal and Angola
http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=225216
...maybe there is some kind of difference in the number of ribs or the teeth location but unfortunately i can not find any identification keys for this genus.
Hope you find it!
Regards!
Dear Sergio,
thanks a lot for the information and the insight! Yes, I hope I will be able to get some identification keys!
Thank you once again
regards
I only saw this discussion now, this appears to be Cardita leana Dunker, 1860.
geographical spread suggests Cardita leana but the shape is very similar to Cardita caliculata which could have been introduced by the Red Sea. The specimen is very similar to one that i find in Mediterranean Sea.
Thank you for the comments Roberto..But look at the characteristic orange dots.. Your views about this please..
Cardita caliculata which with anthropogenic contribution has colonized the Indian Ocean assuming a different shape, color and larger size. Many Indian Ocean species arrive in the Mediterranean and also Mediterranean species arrive in the Indian Ocean changing their appearance based on habitat. Roberto Ardovini.
Dear Roberto, I would like to know to which paper you are refering to which reports Cardita calyculata from the Indian Ocean. As the shape of Cardita's are very variable, one might need DNA studies to confirm its identity. Untill now, there are hardly any Mediterranean species known from the Indian Ocean as far as I am aware of.
Thanks for your information.
Dr Henk and Dr Roberto, as a continuation of this discussion, is there a possibility of species introduced through ballast water (larval forms)?? Would like to know from both of you!
As pointed out by Dr Henk, can you give some examples of Mediterranean species reported from the Indian Ocean? This is just out of curiosity :)
Dear Deepak,
Yes, there is always a possibility that through ballast water from ships larvae are transported and if they find a good environment, may growth out to adults. This happened probably quite a number of times in the Mediterranean Sea, e.g. Conomurex persicus and along the eastern Atlantic coast, Ensis leei. Another mode of transport could be the hull of a ship, when species can attach themselves to it. Remarkable often one finds brackish water species as introduced, like Rangia cuneata, Theora, Ischadium recurvum etc., this probably because harbours are often situated in river mouths with brackish environment.
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