Sphaerium is a genus of very small freshwater clams, aquatic bivalve molluscs in the family Sphaeriidae, known as the fingernail clams. The small clams in this genus are unusual in that many of them, such as Sphaerium corneum, can climb around underwater on aquatic plants, using their long and strong foot.
| Sphaerium | |
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| Sphaerium corneum | |
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| Live Sphaerium sp. moving around with its foot. Collected from a pond in Portland, Oregon | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Sphaeriida |
| Superfamily: | Sphaerioidea |
| Family: | Sphaeriidae |
| Genus: | Sphaerium Scopoli, 1777 |
| Species | |
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See text. | |
| Synonyms | |
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List
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Selected species
editThe following species are included in the genus Sphaerium:[1]
- Sphaerium asiaticum (E. von Martens, 1864)
- †Sphaerium beckmani L. S. Russell, 1976
- Sphaerium bequaerti (Dautzenberg & Germain, 1914)
- Sphaerium corneum (Linnaeus, 1758) – European fingernail clam
- Sphaerium lacustre (O. F. Müller, 1774)
- Sphaerium nitidum Clessin, 1876 – Arctic fingernail clam
- Sphaerium novaezelandiae Deshayes, 1855
- Sphaerium nucleus (Studer, 1820)
- Sphaerium ovale (A. Férussac, 1807)
- Sphaerium rhomboideum (Say, 1822)
- Sphaerium rivicola (Lamarck, 1818)
- Sphaerium solidum (Normand, 1844)
- Sphaerium stuhlmanni E. von Martens, 1897
- Sphaerium transversum (Say, 1829)
References
edit- ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Sphaerium Scopoli, 1777". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
External links
edit- Sphaerium Scopoli, 1777 on Biolib
- Pelecypoda (Clams) on Aquatic Invertebrates of Alberta
- "Sphaerium". The Encyclopedia of Life.
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