''Codakia distinguenda'', the elegant lucine, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of marine

bivalve Bivalvia () or bivalves, in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class (biology), class of aquatic animal, aquatic molluscs (marine and freshwater) that have laterally compressed soft bodies enclosed b ...

mollusc Mollusca is a phylum of protostome, protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant taxon, extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum ...

. It was first described to science in 1872 by George Washington Tryon Jr.

Description

The elegant lucine has large, flattened, saucer-like

valves A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fittings, ...

. They are the largest member of their family along the west coast of the Americas. The valves are between 50mm and 140mm (2 to 5.5 inches) in width. The exterior of the shell is white with a vivid reticulation, or net-like sculpture of rays and arcs. The interior of the shell shows rose-red margins with a creamy yellow center.

Distribution

The elegant lucine is found in the east Pacific Ocean from

Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, including the

Gulf of California The Gulf of California (), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Vermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja California peninsula from ...

. It is found in the Galapagos Islands. It is a shallow water species that lives from the intertidal zone to 50 meters (165 feet) deep. Elegant lucinids are

infaunal Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and ''funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively r ...

, that is, they live buried in sand or mud on the seabed.

Life history

The elegant lucine is a

filter feeder Filter feeders are aquatic animals that acquire nutrients by feeding on organic matters, food particles or smaller organisms (bacteria, microalgae and zooplanktons) suspended in water, typically by having the water pass over or through a s ...

, straining

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms that drift in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) but are unable to actively propel themselves against ocean current, currents (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are ca ...

and other nutrients from sea water that it pumps through its body. These animals also obtain energy through chemosymbiosis. They acquire their

symbiotic Symbiosis (Ancient Greek : living with, companionship < : together; and ''bíōsis'': living) is any type of a close and long-term biolo ...

bacteria from sea water. The bacteria are bathed in the sea water pumping through the gills of the animal from which they obtain sulfides and oxygen. The bacteria use these inputs to synthesize nutritious carbon compounds that are transferred to the lucine. In times of starvation, the lucine will consume the bacteria.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3802718 Lucinidae Bivalves of North America Molluscs of the Pacific Ocean Molluscs described in 1872 Taxa named by George Washington Tryon