Macomangulus tenuis (da Costa, 1778)

Norway & Baltic to Mauritania, Mediterranean & Black Sea. Deposit feeder, deeply burrowed in fine sand, from intertidal to 6-10m deep, in quiet waters (DORIS & MBSBI). Original taxon: Tellina tenuis. Above and below: 3m deep, Cubelles, Barcelona, Catalunya, NE. Spain. 21mm.The periostracum is often pinkish.

Synonyms: exigua, hyalina, polita… costae… Shell slightly inequivalve. Pallial sinus deeply carved, merging with the pallial line; adductor muscle prints pronounced.

All specimens show one of these three colors: red, orange, yellow. Variations affect colour, colour saturation and shape. Calambrone, Livorno, Toscana, W. Italy. 17-18mm.

L’Espiguette, Le Grau-du-Roi, Gard, S. France. 16mm.

Tellina Costae in G. P. Deshayes: “Hist. Nat. Mollusques t. I”, Exploration scientifique de l’Algérie, Paris 1844-1867, via BHL.

On the beach, Split, S. Croatia. 17mm. Original pictures provided by P. Ugarković (HR). – (CC BY-NC-SA) –

Atlantic specimen. At low tide, La Baule, Loire-Atlantique, W. France. 20mm.

Specimens from English Channel. On sand, Saint-Michel-en-Grève, Côtes d’Armor, N. Brittany, NW. France. 13-21mm.

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