Psammobia

Belongs within: Tellinoidea.

Treated by Willan (1993) as a subgenus of Gari (the sunset shells), Psammobia is a cosmopolitan assemblage of tellinoid bivalves.

Characters (from Willan 1993): Moderate-sized psammobiids with thin to moderately thick shells; inequilateral, umbones displaced anteriorly; inequivalve with right valve more convex; posterior ridge usually distinct on right valve at least. Valves with weak concentric cords across anterior and central areas; strong concentric striae over posterior slope of right valve at least. Right valve with 2, approximately equal, oblique, diverging cardinals, the rear one deeply bifid. Left valve with a weak lunular projection in front of teeth; dentition consisting of a single, vertically directed, deeply bifid anterior cardinal tooth and a short, oblique lamella representing posterior cardinal tooth. Pallial sinus moderately deep, relatively broad, lower limb confluent with pallial line for its entire length. Interior with purplish glaze.

<==Psammobia
    |--P. anomala Deshayes 1855H09
    |--P. californicaC64
    |--P. casta [incl. Tellina cognata]C64
    |--P. castrensis (Spengler 1794) [=Solen castrensis]H09
    |--P. costata Hanley 1842H42
    |--P. costulataPP64
    |--P. ferroensisN79
    |--P. flabellum Viader 1951L96
    |--P. gracilenta Smith 1884H09
    |--P. lessoni Blainville 1826H09
    |--P. lineolataH86
    |--P. marmorea Deshayes 1855H09
    |--P. maxima Desh. 1854C64
    |--P. modesta Deshayes 1855H09
    |--P. olivacea Jay 1856C64
    |--P. ornata Deshayes 1855H09
    |--P. praestans Deshayes 1855H09
    |--P. pulcherrima Deshayes 1855H09
    |--P. (Amphichaena) regularisC64
    |--P. rasilis Melvill & Standen 1899H09
    |--P. rubroradiata [=Sanguinolaria rubroradiata]C64
    |--P. stangeriH86
    |--P. subpapyraceaG31
    |--P. tellinellaN79
    |--P. vespertinaN79
    `--P. zonalis (Lamarck 1818) [=Psammotaea zonalis]H09

*Type species of generic name indicated

References

[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.

[G31] Grabau, A. W. 1931. The Permian of Mongolia: A report on the Permian fauna of the Jisu Honguer limestone of Mongolia and its relations to the Permian of other parts of the world. American Museum of Natural History: New York.

[H42] Hanley, S. 1842. Descriptions of four new species of bivalve shells belonging to the genera Solen, Psammobia and Cytherea. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 10: 122–123.

[H09] Hedley, C. 1909. The Marine Fauna of Queensland: Address by the President of Section D. Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science: Brisbane.

[H86] Hutton, F. W. 1886. The Mollusca of the Pareora and Oamaru systems of New Zealand. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, series 2, 1 (1): 205–237.

[L96] Loch, I. 1996. Notice: R. Viader collection. Molluscan Research 17: 110.

[N79] Norman, A. M. 1879. The Mollusca of the fiords near Bergen, Norway. Journal of Conchology 2: 8–77.

[PP64] Peres, J. M., & J. Picard. 1964. Nouveau manuel de bionomie benthique de la mer Mediterranee. Recueil des Travaux de la Station Marine d’Endoume, Bulletin 31 (27): 5–137.

Willan, R. C. 1992. Taxonomic revision of the family Psammobiidae (Bivalvia: Tellinoidea) in the Australian and New Zealand region. Records of the Australian Museum Supplement 18: 1–132.