Flame shell

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Flame shell
Two flame shells which have been torn from their protective nest at the bottom of Loch Carron in Scotland
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Subclass: Pteriomorphia
Order: Limoida
Family: Limidae
Genus: Limaria
Species: L. hians
Binomial name
Limaria hians
(Gmelin, 1791)

The flame shell, scientific name Limaria hians, is a species of small saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Limidae.

Biology

The flame shell resembles a scallop with a bright orange fringe of filaments emerging from between the valve of its shell.

The bivalves make sticky threads which bind stones and pieces of shell debris into a felt-lined nest. Holes in the reef allow fresh seawater to flow through, preventing stagnation. The live animals cannot be seen unless the mat-like nest is torn open.

Distribution

The distribution of this species is primarily in the west coast of Scotland from the sublittoral (below low tide), down to 100m, although there are patchy records of the species being found in more southerly regions of the United Kingdom. There are a number of well-known colonies on the sea bed in Loch Carron, below Strome Castle. In 2012 a bed of 100 million flame shells covering an area of 75 hectares was found during a survey of Loch Alsh undertaken by Heriot-Watt University on behalf of Marine Scotland. Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment said: "The flame shell must be considered among the most remarkable species in our waters, with a dazzling array of orange tentacles. Many would place such an exotic species in far-flung tropical reefs - not realising they dwell under the waves just off the coast of Skye. This important discovery may be the largest grouping of flame shells anywhere in the world." [1]

See also

  • Fauna of Scotland

Notes

  1. ↑ "Marine Scotland survey uncovers 'huge' flame shell bed". BBC News Online. 2012-12-26. Retrieved 2012-12-27. 

References

Hall-Spencer JM & Moore PG (2000) Limaria hians (Mollusca: Limacea): a neglected reef-forming keystone species. Aquatic Conservation 10, 267-277.

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