Polititapes aureus (Gmelin, 1791)

Norway to Spain, Mediterranean, Black Sea. « A shallow burrower in gravels and muds. Intertidal and sublittoral… » (MBSBI). Original taxon: Venus aurea. Impressive number of synonyms. Málaga, Andalucia, S. Spain. 33mm.

Synonyms: bicolor, catenifera, florida, petalina, tenuistriata… A specimen from Livorno, Toscana, W. Italy. 28mm.

Rounded specimen from Palaiohora, SW. Crete. 11mm.

Original taxon: Venus aurea, for the golden paintings inside. Textile-patterned shells from Cap d’Agde, S. France. 18-21mm.

On beach, Cap d’Agde. 6-17mm. Sculpture weakens near umbos.

Atlantic specimens. Intertidal, Siec island, Le Dossen, Roscoff, NW. Brittany, NW. France. 24-35mm.

A shell from W. Sweden. On beach, Veddö, Bohuslän, Västra Götaland. 40mm. Interesting shape.

The great mediterranean form “texturata” Lamarck. On beach, south of the river mouth, on right bank, Le Grau du Roi, S. France. 25-34mm.

Above and below: Calambrone beach, Livorno. 18-20mm.

Variations affect sculpture, colours, patterns.

Pullastra castrensis in G. P. Deshayes: “Hist. Nat. Mollusques t. I”, Exploration scientifique de l’Algérie, Paris 1844-1867, via BHL. Obvioulsy, a “texturata”.

Again a “texturata”: Grau de la Vieille Nouvelle, Ayrolles lagoon, Gruissan, Occitania, S. France. 37mm.

The “texturata” variant is sometimes discovered in northern seas: here, on the beach, Sydkoster, Koster Islands, Strömstad, Västra Götaland. 41mm.

Tapes aureus in J. G. Hidalgo: Moluscos marinos de España, Portugal y las Baleares, Madrid 1870, via BHL.

Tapes floridus in J. G. Hidalgo, op. cit. via BHL.

Tapes texturatus in J. G. Hidalgo, op. cit. via BHL.

2m deep, on sand, Maslinova Bay, northwestern coast of Brač island, Split-Dalmatia Comitat, S. Croatia. 28,3mm. Original picture provided by R. Stanić (HR) – (CC BY-NC-SA).

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