Relevant Synonyms Arca divaricata (Sowerby) Arca plicata Dillwyn, 1817 Barbatia plicata Dillwyn [Di Geronimo and Robba, 1979] Arca plicata cf divaricata [Moazzo, 1939] Misidentification -  photo: P. Pravlis / Goulandris Museum

SHORT DESCRIPTION Shell equivalve, inequilateral with umbones at the anterior 1/3 of length. Outline almost rectangular, longer than high, often irregular with a distinct keel at the posterior end. Ligament posterior to beaks. Coarse sculpture, consisting of lamellae crossed by radial riblets more prominent posteriorly. Taxodont hinge; central teeth smaller, marginal teeth larger. Adductor muscle scars slightly raised. Inner margin crenulate. Ventral margin with a narrow byssal sinus. color : white to dirty white, tinged with orange or pink. common size : shell to 30 mm. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS The small size and the decussate sculpture dominated by concentric lamellae which are somewhat raised at the posterior part and the prominent muscle scars are diagnostic for the species. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY Epifaunal, sedentary, bysally attached organisms. Suspension feeders. habitat : attached to corals and rocks. The Mediterranean specimen under stone on the shore.

1st Mediterranean record Netanya, Israel, 1986 [1978]. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide: Indo-Pacific and throughout the Red Sea (Oliver, 1992). Suez Canal (Moazzo, 1939). Mediterranean: a single record from Israel, in 1978, as Barbatia plicata (Barash and Danin, 1986). ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Record based on one specimen only. speculated reasons for success : - MODE OF INTRODUCTION Via the Suez Canal. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS None.

KEY REFERENCES Barash A. and Danin Z., 1986. Further additions to the knowledge of Indo-Pacific mollusca in the Mediterranean Sea. Spixiana, 9(2): 117-141. Di Geronimo I. and Robba E., 1979. Contributo alla conoscenza della malacofauna del Benadir (Somalia meridionale). Bollettino Malacologico, 15(7-8): 165-196. Moazzo P.G., 1939. Mollusques testacés marins du Canal de Suez. Mémoires de l'Institut d'Egypte, 38: 1-283, Cairo [Arca plicata p. 55].   Oliver P.G., 1992. Bivalved seashells of the Red Sea. Christa Hemmen, Wiesbaden and National Museum of Wales, Cardiff. 330 p. [Acar plicata, p. 34]. FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

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