General Morphologic Features of a Bivalve
Illustrations and objective data courtesy of AMOCO Production Co., Alan B. Shaw (Manager, South Florida Carbonate Project), and Brian F. Glenister (AMOCO Consultant)
- anterior end= end toward which the beaks point; posterior end is the opposite
- beak= the initial, or earliest, part of the bivalve shell; umbones
- dorsal margin= belonging to the back
- hinge teeth= the pointed protuberances at the hinge
- muscle scars= the marks left by the adductor muscles that used to close the shell
- pallial line= a groove or channel near the posterior end
- pallial sinus= a notch or embayment at the posterior end of the pallial line where the retracted siphons are held
- posterior end= opposite of the anterior end (see above)
- ventral margin= pertaining to the underside
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Bivalve Views
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Last updated on September 4, 2002-eek.