Sphaeriidae
| Sphaeriidae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Four shells of Sphaerium corneum. Scale bar is in mm. | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Sphaeriida |
| Superfamily: | Sphaerioidea |
| Family: | Sphaeriidae Deshayes, 1855 (1820) |
| Genera | |
|
See text | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Cycladidae, Rafinesque 1820[1][2] | |
Sphaeriidae is a family of small to minute freshwater bivalve molluscs in the order Sphaeriida. In the US, they are commonly known as pea clams or fingernail clams.[3][4]
The Sphaeriidae is actually an important group of freshwater invertebrates, seeing as they play a huge role in the energy flow and the nutrient cycling within aquatic ecosystems, in which the constitute a food item for organisms of higher trophic levels and even contribute to the bioturbation of sediments which can help create a physical resource for many other species that utilize the shells.
Genera
[edit]Genera:[5]
- Euperinae
- Byssanodonta d'Orbigny, 1846
- Eupera Bourguignat, 1854
- Sphaeriinae
- Afropisidium Kuiper, 1962
- Euglesa Jenyns, 1832
- Musculium Link, 1807
- Odhneripisidium Kuiper, 1962
- Pisidium C. Pfeiffer, 1821
- Sphaerium Scopoli, 1777
- fossils
- †Megasphaerioides Komatsu, J.-H. Chen & Q.-F. Wang, 2003
- †Protosphaerium Hocknull, 2000
- †Sphaericoncha Kolesnikov, 1980
Biology and ecology
[edit]Sphaeriidae are hermaphrodites with internal fertilization. Developing young are incubated within their mother (ovoviviparity), and newborn clams look like miniature copies of the adults.[4]
Parasites and/or predators include the Sciomyzidae.[6]
The Sphaeriidae family demonstrates a global distribution across the map, settling within many freshwater ecosystems ranging from small ponds to even large lakes and even rivers. Research in Morocco suggests five identified species within the Pisidium genus and another species within the Musculium genus, where many of the species have been collected across many Moroccan basins.
Taxonomy and Conservation
[edit]The taxonomy of the Sphaeriidae has actually, up until present time, been severely challenging due to how small they are in size and their morphological similarities. The conservation status of this family has also been severely overlooked as there is a huge lack on basic knowledge of the Sphaeriidae, such as a lack of knowledge on their taxonomy, biology and even their ecology. Further research on the Sphaeriidae is extremely emphasized for a better detailed and understanding on the species.
References
[edit]
- ^ Bowden, John & Heppell, David (1968). "Revised list of British Mollusca. 2. Unionacea-Cardiacea" (PDF). Journal of Conchology. 26 (4): 237–272, note 55, pages 253–254. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 December 2014.
- ^ Baker, Horace Burrington (1964). "Notes on Sphaeriid Names". The Nautilus. 78 (2): 45–47.
- ^ Heard, William H. 1965. Comparative life histories of North American pill clams (Sphaeriidae: Pisidium). Malacologia, 2: 381-411.
- ^ a b Heard, William H. 1977. Reproduction of fingernail clams (Sphaeriidae: Sphaerium and Musculium). Malacologia, 16: 421-455.
- ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Sphaeriidae Deshayes, 1855 (1820)". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
- ^ Biology of Snail-Killing Sciomyzidae Flies at Google Books
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