Anomalodesmata is an

superorder Order ( la, ordo) is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between family and class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms and ...

of saltwater clams,

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military ...

bivalve Bivalvia (), in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class (biology), class of marine and freshwater Mollusca, molluscs that have laterally compressed bodies enclosed by a shell consisting of two hing ...

molluscs Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is estim ...

. This grouping was formerly recognised as a taxonomic subclass. It is called a superorder in the current World Register of Marine Species, despite having no orders, to parallel it with sister taxon Imparidentia, which does have orders.

Description

Wood1815 General Conchology pl 18 fig 1 Thracia convexa

The shells of species in this order are of equal size, as are the muscles that hold them closed, and the margins at the hinges are thickened. The margins of the

mantle A mantle is a piece of clothing, a type of cloak. Several other meanings are derived from that. Mantle may refer to: *Mantle (clothing), a cloak-like garment worn mainly by women as fashionable outerwear **Mantle (vesture), an Eastern Orthodox ve ...

are also fused, and there is only a single

hinge tooth Hinge teeth are part of the anatomical structure of the inner surface of a bivalve shell, i.e. the shell of a bivalve mollusk. Bivalves by definition have two valves, which are joined together by a strong and flexible ligament situated on the hing ...

, if any.

Families

In 2010, a new proposed classification system for the Bivalvia was published in ''

Malacologia ''Malacologia'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal in the field of malacology, the study of mollusks. The journal publishes articles in the fields of molluscan systematics, ecology, population ecology, genetics, molecular genetics, evolu ...

'' by Bieler, Carter & Coan revising the classification of the Bivalvia, including the order Anomalodesmata.Bieler, R., Carter, J.G. & Coan, E.V. (2010) ''Classification of Bivalve families''. Pp. 113-133, in: Bouchet, P. & Rocroi, J.P. (2010), ''Nomenclator of Bivalve Families. Malacologia'' 52(2): 1-184 The following tree is their info which has been updated with the latest information from the World Register of Marine Species: Order: Anomalodesmata *Superfamily: Clavagelloidea **Family:

Clavagellidae Clavagellidae is a family of very unusual marine bivalves of the order Anomalodesmata. Genera and species * †'' Ascaulocardium'' Pojeta and N. F 1987 * '' Brechites'' Guettard 1770 ** '' Brechites attrahens'' ** '' Brechites brechites'' ** ' ...

**Family:

Penicillidae Penicillidae is a family of bivalves belonging to the order Anomalodesmata. Genera: * '' Brechites'' Guettard, 1770 * '' Foegia'' Gray, 1842 * '' Humphreyia'' Gray, 1858 * '' Kendrickian'' B.Morton, 2004 * '' Nipponoclava'' B.J.Smith, 1976 * ''Ve ...

*Superfamily:

Cuspidarioidea Anomalodesmata is an superorder of saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs. This grouping was formerly recognised as a taxonomic subclass. It is called a superorder in the current World Register of Marine Species, despite having no orders, to ...

** Family:

Cuspidariidae Cuspidariidae is a family of small marine bivalve molluscs in the superfamily Cuspidarioidea. Genera and species Genera and species in the family Cuspidariidae: * '' Austroneaera'' Powell, 1937 ** '' Austroneaera brevirostris'' Powell, 1937 ...

** Family:

Halonymphidae Halonymphidae is a family of bivalve Bivalvia (), in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class of marine and freshwater molluscs that have laterally compressed bodies enclosed by a shell consistin ...

** Family:

Protocuspidariidae Protocuspidariidae is a family of bivalves belonging to the superfamily Cuspidarioidea in the superorder Anomalodesmata Anomalodesmata is an superorder of saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs. This grouping was formerly recognised as a tax ...

** Family: Spheniopsidae *Superfamily: Myochamoidea **Family: Cleidothaeridae **Family:

Myochamidae Myochamidae is a family of saltwater clams, marine bivalves in the order Anomalodesmata Anomalodesmata is an superorder of saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs. This grouping was formerly recognised as a taxonomic subclass. It is called ...

*Superfamily: Pandoroidea ** Family:

Lyonsiidae Lyonsiidae is a family of small saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs in the order Anomalodesmata. Description Members of this family have inequivalve, oblong valves that are nearly equilateral. The right valve is more convex than the left, ...

** Family:

Pandoridae Pandoridae is a taxonomic family of small saltwater clams, marine bivalves in the order Anomalodesmata. Genera and species Genera and species within the family Pandoridae include: * '' Clidiophora'' Carpenter, 1864 * '' Coania'' Valentich-Scot ...

*Superfamily: Pholadomyoidea ** Family: † Arenigomyidae ** Family: † Margaritariidae ** Family:

Parilimyidae Parilimyidae is a family of bivalves belonging to the superorder Anomalodesmata Anomalodesmata is an superorder of saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs. This grouping was formerly recognised as a taxonomic subclass. It is called a superor ...

** Family:

Pholadomyidae Pholadomyidae is a taxonomic family of saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs in the order Anomalodesmata. Genera and species Genera and species within the family Pholadomyidae include: *'' Panacca'' **'' Panacca arata'' (A. E. Verrill and ...

** Family: † Ucumariidae *Superfamily:

Poromyoidea Poromyoidea is a superfamily of molluscs Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are reco ...

** Family:

Cetoconchidae ''Cetoconcha'' is the only extant genus of saltwater clams Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve molluscs. The word is often applied only to those that are edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway burie ...

** Family:

Poromyidae Poromyidae is a family of saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs in the order Anomalodesmata. The genus ''Dilemma'', described in 2008, is remarkable for being a predator of copepods, which is very unusual for a sessile mollusc. Genera and sp ...

*Superfamily: Thracioidea ** Family: † Burmesiidae ** Family: Clistoconchidae ** Family: Laternulidae ** Family: Periplomatidae ** Family: Thraciidae *Superfamily: Verticordioidea ** Family: Euciroidae ** Family:

Lyonsiellidae Lyonsiellidae is a taxonomic family of marine bivalve molluscs in the superfamily SUPERFAMILY is a database and search platform of structural and functional annotation for all proteins and genomes. It classifies amino acid sequences into know ...

** Family:

Verticordiidae Verticordiidae is a family of benthic marine bivalves in the superorder Anomalodesmata. These clams range from 2 - 200 millimeters in length and are mainly found in coastal waters surrounding Australia and the Americas, though a few species withi ...

References

* Powell A W B, ''New Zealand Mollusca'', William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979

External links

* Bivalve orders {{bivalve-stub