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 | |
|---|---|
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| Myllita stowei observed on Takapuna Beach, New Zealand | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Galeommatida |
| Family: | Lasaeidae |
| Genus: | Myllita |
| Species: | M. stowei
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| Binomial name | |
| Myllita stowei (Hutton, 1873)
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| Synonyms | |
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Description edit
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 edit
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 edit
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Myllita stowei". New Zealand Mollusca. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.