Myllita stowei is a species of bivalve, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Lasaeidae.[1] It was first described as Pythina stowei by Frederick Wollaston Hutton in 1873, and recategorised as Myllita stowei in 1913 by Henry Suter. It is endemic to the waters of New Zealand.

Myllita stowei
Myllita stowei observed on Takapuna Beach, New Zealand
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Galeommatida
Family: Lasaeidae
Genus: Myllita
Species:
M. stowei
Binomial name
Myllita stowei
(Hutton, 1873)
Synonyms
  • Myllita (Zemyllita) stowei
  • Pythina stowei Hutton, [1873]
  • Zemyllita stowei

Description

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Myllita stowei observed near the Westhaven Marina, New Zealand

Myllita stowei has an elongated appearance relative to other Lasaeidae species, and has divaricating ridges on the exterior shell. The species reaches up to 15 millimetres in length and 9 millimetres in height.[2][3] Shells of the species have between eight and nine divaricating ribs along the shell.[4] The foot is pear-shaped and white in colour.[4]

Distribution

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The species is Endemic to New Zealand.[1] Myllita stowei is uncommonly found around central and northern New Zealand,[2] and less commonly around the South Island.[4]

The bivalve is typically attached to the undersides of intertidal boulders.[2] It is more commonly discovered as a shell, with living specimens being extremely rare finds.[4][5]

References

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  1. ^ a b Bieler R, Bouchet P, Gofas S, Marshall B, Rosenberg G, La Perna R, Neubauer TA, Sartori AF, Schneider S, Vos C, ter Poorten JJ, Taylor J, Dijkstra H, Finn J, Bank R, Neubert E, Moretzsohn F, Faber M, Houart R, Picton B, Garcia-Alvarez O, eds. (2022). "Myllita stowei (Hutton, 1873) (Hutton, 1873)". MolluscaBase. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Beu, AG (2017). "Molluscan death assemblages from uplifted Holocene terraces, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand, interpreted from present-day intertidal ecology". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 41 (2): 181–206. Bibcode:2017Alch...41..181B. doi:10.1080/03115518.2016.1196433. ISSN 0311-5518. S2CID 133053095.
  3. ^ "Myllita stowei". New Zealand Mollusca. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d Ponder, W. F. (3 November 1967). "Observations on the Living Animal and Mode of Life of some New Zealand Erycinacean Bivalves". Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand: Zoology. 10 (3): 21 – via Papers Past.
  5. ^ Morley, Margaret S.; Hayward, Bruce W. (1999). "Inner Shelf Mollusca of the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, and Their Depth Distribution". Records of the Auckland Museum. 36: 119–140. ISSN 1174-9202. JSTOR 42905840. Wikidata Q58623318.