| Bryopa aperta (Sowerby, 1823) |
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Mediterranean.
Suspension feeder in the infralittoral - circalittoral, nested inside hard calcareous substrate (limestone, coralligene). synonyms: philippiana, sicula.
B. aperta differs from B. melitensis by often showing ancient widenings, like succcessive annuli, below the extremity of the tube; melitensis does not show such annnuli. Also, the colour of the siphons differs: red in aperta, purple in melitensis. – Above: the species in G. B. Sowerby: The genera of recent and fossil shells vol. II (plates), London 1820, p.78 (plate XX). |
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Right valve of aperta found beachstormed at La Franqui, Leucate, Occitania, S. France. 18mm.
Original pictures provided by S. Clanzig (FR) – (CC BY-NC-SA). |
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Same spot. 16mm. The tube is worn, it lost its flarings.
Notice the strongly marked pallial sinus.
Original pictures provided by S. Clanzig (FR) – (CC BY-NC-SA). |
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| External part of a specimen pictured around the Illes Medes, L’Estartit, Girona, Catalunya, NE. Spain. Original picture provided by F. Roche for iNaturalist – (CC BY-NC). |
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| Clavagella sicula in S. Delle Chiaje: Memorie sulla storia e notomia degli animali senza vertebre del regno di Napoli vol. IV, Napoli 1830, plate LVIII. |
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| At the foot of the southern cliffs, Cap d’Oltrera, north of L’Estartit. Original picture provided by P. Corbrion for iNaturalist – (CC BY-NC-SA). |
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| Above and below: a specimen collected at 25m deep, adriatic coast of Puglia, SE. Italy. |
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| The lodge viewed from inside. |
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| The right valve. 22mm. |
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| From fishing net, Anáfi island, Kykládes, S. Aegean. 16mm on the right valve. In the genus, the left valve (fixed, top image) is always larger than the right one (free, bottom). |
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| A tube, with two previous annuli. 36m deep, San Giovanni li Cuti, south of Ognina, Catania, E. Sicilia. Dimensions of the aperture: about 11,4mm x 7mm. |