The eastern Pacific species of Sphenia (Bivalvia: Myidae)

Abstract

There are four eastern Pacific Ocean species of the genus Sphenia: (1) Sphenia fragilis (H. Adams and A. Adams, 1854), occurs in a variety of nestling situations from the intertidal zone to shallow water, from Santa Barbara County, California, to Guayas Province, Ecuador, and has as synonyms S. fragilis Carpenter, 1857; S. pacificensis de Folin, 1867; and S. trunculus Dall, 1916; as well as the western Atlantic Corbula iheringiana Pilsbry, 1897; and S. antillensis Dall and Simpson, 1901. (2) Sphenia gulfensis, a new species, is restricted to soft bottoms in the Gulf of California. (3) Sphenia hatcheri Pilsbry, 1899, occurs, probably in relatively soft substrata, from Rocha Department, Uruguay, through the Estrecho de Magallanes, as far north as Isla Chiloé, Chile; S. subequalis Dall, 1908, is a synonym. (4) Sphenia luticola (Valenciennes, 1846), occurs offshore in rock cavities from Jefferson County, Washington, to San Diego County, California, and has as synonyms S. pholadidea Dall, 1916; Cuspidaria nana Oldroyd, 1918; and S. globula Dall, 1919. Sphenia bilirata Gabb, 1861, may have been based on Recent specimens of Hiatella arctica (Linnaeus, 1758). Sphenia avoidea Carpenter, 1864, is based on a juvenile Mya, most probably M. arenaria Linnaeus, 1758.