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Taxonomy
Family: Subfamily:
MACTRIDAE: MACTRINAE
Full Classification:
Mollusca (Phylum)
> Bivalvia (Class)
> Autobranchia (Subclass)
> Heteroconchia (Infraclass)
> Euhetrodonta (Subterclass)
> Imparidentia (Superorder)
> Venerida (Order)
> Mactroidea (Superfamily)
> Mactridae (Family)
> Mactrinae (Subfamily)
> Spisula (Genus)
> murchisoni (Species)
Genus Synonyms:
=Hemimactra Swainson, 1840
=Notospisula Iredale, 1930
=Spisula (Hemimactra) Swainson, 1840
=Spisula (Notospisula) Iredale, 1930
=Spisula (Ruellia) Cossmann, 1913
=Spisula (Spisula) J.E. Gray, 1837
=Spisula (Spisulona) Marwick, 1948
=Spisulina P. Fischer, 1887
=Spisulona Marwick, 1948
Synonymised Names:
=Mactra murchisoni Reeve, 1854
=Spisula (Spisulona) murchisoni Reeve, 1854
Images: Spisula murchisoni Deshayes, 1854
Waikato River mouth, NZ. 67mm
Waikato River mouth, NZ. 67mm
Waikato River mouth, NZ. 67mm
Taxonomy
Family: Subfamily:
MACTRIDAE: MACTRINAE
Full Classification:
Mollusca (Phylum)
> Bivalvia (Class)
> Autobranchia (Subclass)
> Heteroconchia (Infraclass)
> Euhetrodonta (Subterclass)
> Imparidentia (Superorder)
> Venerida (Order)
> Mactroidea (Superfamily)
> Mactridae (Family)
> Mactrinae (Subfamily)
> Spisula (Genus)
> murchisoni (Species)
Genus Synonyms:
=Hemimactra Swainson, 1840
=Notospisula Iredale, 1930
=Spisula (Hemimactra) Swainson, 1840
=Spisula (Notospisula) Iredale, 1930
=Spisula (Ruellia) Cossmann, 1913
=Spisula (Spisula) J.E. Gray, 1837
=Spisula (Spisulona) Marwick, 1948
=Spisulina P. Fischer, 1887
=Spisulona Marwick, 1948
Synonymised Names:
=Mactra murchisoni Reeve, 1854
=Spisula (Spisulona) murchisoni Reeve, 1854
Details: Spisula murchisoni Deshayes, 1854
Size/Grows to:
Width 98mm, Height 80mm
Distribution:
North Island and northern and southern South Island. On exposed sandy beaches
Geographical Range:
ACF
Notes:
Marine, Native - Endemic, Wider, less inflated than Mactra discors. More laterally ovate, inequilateral, has transverse plications on the lateral teeth, and the periostracum is always pale straw colour
Distribution Map
 
References and Publications
  • Conroy, A.M., Smith, P.J., Michael, K.P., Stotter, D.R. 1993 Identification and recruitment patterns of juvenile surf clams, Mactra discors and M. murchisoni from central New Zealand, New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 27(3) (p.279)
  • Powell, A.W.B. 1979 New Zealand Mollusca: Marine, Land and Freshwater Shells, Collins, Auckland (p.413)
  • Reeve, L.A. 1854 Monograph of the genus Mactra, Conchologia Iconica, or illustrations of the shells of molluscous animals, 8 (p.1) Original Description

*98 © Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (CC-BY-NC-ND)

Key to Geographical Ranges
NZ Map showing Geographical Ranges
The symbols K.A.C.F.M.An. are used to indicate the geographical range of the species. They have been adopted to give an approximation of the range of each species within New Zealand.
K=
Kermadec Islands
A=
Aupourian - Kaipara Harbour, north around North Cape, encompassing the Three Kings Islands and south to East Cape
C=
Cookian - Lower North Island and the northern part of the South Island
F=
Forsterian - Otago, Fiordland and Stewart Island
M=
Moriorian - Chatham Islands, Pitt Island
An=
Antipodean - Subantarctic Islands of New Zealand
Fw =
Freshwater
L =
Land
N =
North Island
S =
South Island
R =
Recent
Sf =
Subfossil
Fo =
Fossil
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