Belongs within: Neoheterodontei.
The Corbiculidae are a family of bivalves found in brackish or fresh water in the modern environment though some fossil representatives lived in marine environments. Corbiculids are remarkable in their diversity of reproductive strategies, including androgenesis (loss of genetic material from the female parent so the developing embryo is effectively a clone of the male parent). In the widespread genus Corbicula, found in tropical and subtropical regions of the Old World, the shell is thick and solid, often with concentric sculpture on the outside and a violaceous tinge to the interior (Pilsbry & Bequaert 1927).
Corbicula nitens
Published 20 March 2023
The freshwater clams of the genus Corbicula have become notorious in recent years. Though native to the Indo-Australian region, certain exemplars have become widely distributed around the world as invasive species. The most pervasive of these invasives is Corbicula fluminea, originating in the waters of China and surrounding countries. However, C. fluminea shares its native waters with other Corbicula species, among which is C. nitens.
Corbicula nitens ranges from the Yangtze River basin in the south to Korea in the north. It is distinguished from C. fluminea by its less produced beak (Noda et al. 2007), giving the shell a fairly regular oval profile. Like all Corbicula species, it seems to be harvested for food within its native range. I haven’t found any reference to C. nitens as an invasive outside China but that might be just a matter of fortune. A survey of benthic invertebrates in the Huai River basin by Zhao et al. (2014) found that C. nitens seemed less affected by habitat change than C. fluminea, which might suggest that it could be even more invasive should it escape its bounds.
However, there is something of a shadow hanging over all Corbicula taxonomy. As with many freshwater bivalves, researchers have questioned whether supposed species represent true genetic lineages or induced ecomorphs. A survey of genetic diversity among Corbicula of the Yangtze River basin by Zeng et al. (2023) identified three haplotype lineages in that area, despite prior identification of seven ‘species’. Unfortunately, the identification of these lineages with previously named species, and determining whether these lineages can be reliably distinguished without genetic testing, remains a work in progress.
Systematics of Corbiculidae
Characters (from Pilsbry & Bequaert 1927, as Cyrenidae): Shell trigonal to oval, moderately or very solid, porcellanous, covered with a yellow to olivaceous or brown periostracum; hinge-plate developed, bearing two or three cardinal teeth diverging from the beaks in each valve, and anterior and posterior lateral teeth. Ligament external. Mantle free except posteriorly where a partition divides off a siphonal cavity. Siphons quite short and separate or represented by mere orifices. Gills concrescent posteriorly. Labial palpi rather short, triangular. Oviparous so far as known.
Corbiculidae [Corbiculadae, Cyrenidae]
|--Tetoria yokoyamaiKC02
|--Neocorbicula Fischer 1887GFK07
|--Cyanocyclas Blainville 1818GFK07
|--Egetaria Mörch 1861GFK07
|--Pseudocyrena Bourguignat 1854GFK07
|--Cyrenobatissa Suzuki & Oyama 1943GFK07
|--Cyrenodonax Dall 1903GFK07
|--Posostrea Bogan & Bouchet 1998GFK07
|--LeptesthesG88
|--FilosinaJB12
|--SurbulaBRW98
|--Corbiculina Dall 1903GFK07
| `--C. australisBRW98
|--Villorita Gray in Griffith & Pidgeon 1834GFK07
| `--V. cyprinoides Gray 1834 [incl. Corbicula cochinensis Preston 1916]GFK07
|--Soleilletia Bourguignat 1885GFK07
| |--*S. abbadiana Bourguignat 1885PB27
| `--S. hamyana Bourguignat 1885PB27
|--Geloina Gray 1840GFK07
| |--*G. coaxans (Gmelin 1791)GFK07
| `--G. erosa (Solander 1786) [=Polymesoda (Geloina) erosa]TTP89
|--Polymesoda Rafinesque 1820GFK07
| |--P. caroliniana (Bosc 1901)TTP89
| |--P. coaxansBRW98
| |--P. cordata (Martens 1865) [=Cyrena cordata]GFK07
| `--P. subarataGK02
| |--P. s. subarataGK02
| `--P. s. sowerbii (Basterot 1825)GK02
|--Batissa Gray 1853GFK07
| |--B. angulata Reinhardt 1886GFK07
| |--B. finschi Reinhardt 1886GFK07
| |--B. schmidti Martens 1903GFK07
| |--B. subtrigona Thiele 1928GFK07
| |--B. triquetra Deshayes 1854H09
| `--B. violacea (see below for synonymy)GFK07
`--Corbicula Megerle von Mühlfeld 1811GFK07 [incl. Cyrena Lamarck 1818GFK07, Veloritina Meek 1872W77]
|--*C. fluminalis (Müller 1774)PB27, GFK07 (see below for synonymy)
|--‘Cyrena’ acuta Pr. 1862C64
|--C. africana Krauss 1848GFK07 [=Cyrena africanaPB27; incl. Cy. gauritziana Krauss 1848PB27]
|--C. artini Pallary 1903 (see below for synonymy)PB27
|--C. astartina (Martens 1860)GFK07 [=Cyrena astartinaGFK07; incl. Co. giraudi Bourguignat 1889 (n. n.)PB27]
|--C. audoini Germain 1909PB27
|--C. australisBRW98
|--C. bitruncata Martens 1908GFK07
|--‘Cyrena’ californica Pr. 1860 [incl. C. subquadrata Desh. 1854 (preoc.)]C64
|--C. callipyga Bourguignat 1885PB27
|--‘Venus’ coaxans Gmelin 1791 [=Cyrena coaxans]H09
|--C. consobrina Cailliaud 1827GFK07 (see below for synonymy)
| |--C. c. consobrinaPB27
| `--C. ‘radiata’ edwardi Pilsbry & Bequaert 1927PB27
|--C. convexa Desh. 1854 [incl. C. ventricosa]C64
|--‘Cyrena’ cumingii Desh. 1854C64
|--C. cunningtoni Smith 1906PB27
|--C. delessertiana Prime 1870PB27
|--C. difficilis Prime 1864PB27
|--C. doufilei de Rochebrune & Germain 1904PB27
|--C. durkeei (Meek 1870)ZZ88 [=Cyrena (Corbicula) durkeeiW77, Co. (Veloritina) durkeeiW77]
|--C. fischeri Germain 1907PB27
|--C. fluminea (Müller 1774) [incl. C. elatior Marten 1905]GFK07
|--C. foai Mabille 1901PB27
|--C. gabonensis Preston 1909PB27
|--C. gravieriana Bourguignat 1885PB27
|--C. gustaviana Martens 1900GFK07
|--C. heuglini Clessin 1879PB27
|--C. inaequilateralis Prime 1864PB27
|--C. insignis Desh. 1854C64
|--C. irawadicaTC89
|--C. japonica Prime 1864 [incl. C. biformis Reinhardt 1877]GFK07
|--C. javanica (Mousson 1849) [=Cyrena orientalis var. javanica]GFK07
|--C. jilinensis Zhu & Zhou 1988ZZ88
|--C. kirkii Prime 1864PB27
|--C. lacoini Germain 1905 [incl. C. lacoini var. castanea Germain 1905]PB27
|--C. largillierti Philippi 1844GFK07
|--C. leana Prime 1864GFK07
|--C. linduensisGFK07
|--C. loehensisB50
|--C. madagascariensis Smith 1882 [incl. C. sikorae Ancey 1890]GFK07
|--C. mahalonensisB50
|--C. manilensisGFK07 [=C. (Corbiculina) manilensisM66; incl. C. sayana Prime 1864GFK07]
|--‘Cyrena’ maritimaC64
|--C. masapensisB50
|--C. matannensis Sarasin & Sarasin 1898 [=C. matanensis (l. c.)]GFK07
|--C. meridionalis Clessin 1879PB27
|--‘Cyrena’ mexicana Sby. 1829 [incl. C. aequilateralis Desh. 1854, C. fragilis, C. varians]C64
|--‘Cyrena’ moluccensis Martens 1897GFK07
|--C. natalensis Krauss in Clessin 1879PB27
|--C. nilotica Clessin 1879PB27
|--C. nitens [incl. C. papyracea var. colorata Martens 1905]GFK07
|--C. noetlingi Martens 1899 [incl. C. notlingi bakmio Counts 1991 (n. n.)]GFK07
|--C. oblonga Clessin 1879 [=C. oblongata]GFK07
|--C. oliphantensis Craven 1880PB27
|--C. ovalinaBRW98
|--C. oxiana (Martens 1876) [=Cyrena (Corbicula) fluminalis var. oxiana]GFK07
|--‘Cyrena’ panamensis Pr. 1860 [incl. C. inflata Desh. 1854 (preoc.)]C64
|--C. pisumTC89
|--C. possoensis Sarasin & Sarasin 1898GFK07
|--C. producta Martens 1905GFK07
|--‘Cyrena’ prona Martens 1908GFK07
|--‘Cyrena’ pullastra Mörch 1860C64
|--C. pullata Philippi 1850GFK07
|--‘Cyrena’ radiata Hanley 1844C64
|--‘Cyrena’ recluzii [incl. C. cordiformis Recl. 1853 (preoc.)]C64
|--C. regia Clessin 1878GFK07
|--C. sandai Reinhardt 1878GFK07
|--C. senegalensis Clessin 1879PB27
|--C. soleilleti Bourguignat 1885PB27
|--‘Cyrena’ solida Phil. 1846C64
|--‘Cyrena’ sordida Hanl. 1844C64
|--C. squalida [incl. C. crosseana Prime 1864]GFK07
|--C. straminea Reinhardt 1877GFK07
|--C. subplanata Martens 1897 [incl. C. celebensis Martens 1897]GFK07
|--C. subtruncata Bourguignat in Germain 1906 (see below for synonymy)PB27
|--C. sumatrana [incl. C. angulifera Martens 1897, C. gibba Martens 1897, C. lacustris Martens 1897]GFK07
|--C. tanganyicensis Crosse 1881 [=C. radiata var. tanganyicensis, C. tanganikana Bourguignat 1885]PB27
|--C. tobae Martens 1900GFK07
|--C. towutensisB50
|--C. transversa (Martens 1877) [=Cyrena (Corbicula) transversa]GFK07
|--‘Cyrena’ triangula de Busch 1849 [incl. C. altilis Gld. 1852]C64
|--C. trapezoidea Martens 1897GFK07
`--‘Cyrena’ tumida [incl. C. angulata Desh. 1854 (preoc.)]C64
Nomina nuda: Corbicula gauritziana Krauss 1848GFK07
Cyrena fontainei Desh. in Carpenter 1864C64
Batissa violacea [incl. B. v. var. celebensis Martens 1897, B. v. var. discoidea Martens 1897, B. v. var. extensa Martens 1897, B. v. var. macassarica Martens 1897]GFK07
Corbicula artini Pallary 1903 [incl. C. artini var. albina Pallary 1903, C. lavigeriana Bourguignat in Germain 1906, C. consobrina var. lavigeriei Germain 1906]PB27
Corbicula consobrina Cailliaud 1827GFK07 [=Co. fluminalis consobrinaGFK07; incl. Co. africana var. albida Krauss 1848GFK07, Cyrena africana var. albidaPB27, Co. bithydea Bourguignat in Pallary 1904 (n. n.)PB27, Co. chlora Bourguignat in Pallary 1904 (n. n.)PB27, Co. eucistaera Bourguignat in Pallary 1904 (n. n.)PB27, Co. jickeli Clessin 1878GFK07, Co. laurenti Bourguignat in Pallary 1904 (n. n.)PB27, Co. nyassana Bourguignat 1889PB27, Co. africana var. olivacea Krauss 1848GFK07, Cyrena africana var. olivaceaPB27, Co. pusilla Philippi 1846GFK07, Cy. pusillaPB27, Co. radiata Philippi 1846GFK07, Cy. radiata non Hanley 1844PB27, Co. tchadiensis Germain 1916PB27, Co. tsadiana Martens 1903GFK07, Co. zelebori Jickeli 1874GFK07]
*Corbicula fluminalis (Müller 1774)PB27, GFK07 [=Tellina fluminalisPB27, Cyrena (Corbicula) fluminalisPB27; incl. Corbicula cameroni Bourguignat in Germain 1906PB27, Co. cor Lamarck 1818PB27, Co. degousei Germain 1906PB27, Co. fuscata Lamarck 1818PB27, Co. jouberti Bourguignat in Germain 1907PB27, Co. kynganica Bourguignat in Germain 1906PB27, Co. orientalis Lamarck 1818PB27, Co. purpurea Prime 1864GFK07]
Corbicula subtruncata Bourguignat in Germain 1906 [=C. subtruncatula Bourguignat 1889 (n. n.); incl. C. subtruncata var. aegyptiaca Bourguignat in Pallary 1909, C. subtruncata var. cyanea Bourguignat in Pallary 1909 (n. n.)]PB27
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
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[C64] Carpenter, P. P. 1864. Supplementary report on the present state of our knowledge with regard to the Mollusca of the west coast of North America. Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science 33: 517–686.
[GFK07] Glaubrecht, M., Z. Fehér & F. Köhler. 2007. Inventorizing an invader: annotated type catalogue of Corbiculidae Gray, 1847 (Bivalvia, Heterodonta, Veneroidea), including Old World limnic Corbicula in the Natural History Museum Berlin. Malacologia 49 (2): 243–272.
[G88] Gray, J. 1988. Evolution of the freshwater ecosystem: the fossil record. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 62: 1–214.
[GK02] Gründel, J., & T. Kowalke. 2002. Palaeorissoinidae, a new family of marine and brackish water Rissooidea (Gastropoda, Littorinimorpha). Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie Abhandlungen 226 (1): 43–57.
[H09] Hedley, C. 1909. The Marine Fauna of Queensland: Address by the President of Section D. Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science: Brisbane.
[JB12] Johnson, M. E., & B. G. Baarli. 2012. Development of intertidal biotas through Phanerozoic time. In: Talent, J. A. (ed.) Earth and Life: Global biodiversity, extinction intervals and biogeographic perturbations through time pp. 63–128. Springer.
[KC02] Komatsu, T., K. Chinzei, M. S. Zakhera & H. Matsuoka. 2002. Jurassic soft-bottom oyster Crassostrea from Japan. Palaeontology 45 (6): 1037–1048.
[M66] Metcalf, A. L. 1966. Corbicula manilensis in the Mesilla Valley of Texas and New Mexico. Nautilus 80 (1): 16–20.
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[PB27] Pilsbry, H. A., & J. Bequaert. 1927. The aquatic mollusks of the Belgian Congo, with a geographical and ecological account of Congo malacology. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 53 (2): 69–602, pls 10–77.
[TTP89] Tan Tiu, A. & R. S. Prezant. 1989. Shell tubules in Corbicula fluminea (Bivalvia: Heterodonta): functional morphology and microstructure. Nautilus 103 (1): 36–39.
[TC89] Tapparone Canefri, T. 1889. Viaggio di Leonardo Fea in Birmania e regioni vicine. XVIII.—Molluschi terrestri e d’acqua dolce. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova, Serie 2a, 7: 295–359.
[W77] White, C. A. 1877. Report upon the invertebrate fossils collected in portions of Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona, by parties of the expeditions of 1871, 1872, 1873, and 1874. U.S. Geographical Surveys West of the One Hundredth Meridian 4 (1): 1–219, pls 1–21.
Zeng, C., Y. Tang, M. Vastrade, N. E. Coughlan, T. Zhang, Y. Cai, K. Van Doninck & D. Li. 2023. Salinity appears to be the main factor shaping spatial COI diversity of Corbicula lineages within the Chinese Yangtze River Basin. Diversity and Distributions 29: 364–378.
Zhao, C., C. Sun, C. Liu, J. Xia, G. Yang, X. Liu, D. Zhang, B. Dong & L. Sobkowiak. 2014. Analysis of regional zoobenthos status in the Huai River Basin, China, using two new ecological niche clustering approaches. Ecohydrology 7: 91–101.
[ZZ88] Zhu G.-X. & Zhou Y.-Z. 1988. Fresh-water molluscan fauna across Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary in southeast Jilin. Acta Palaeontologica Sinica 27 (6): 713–721.