Carditidae Explained

Carditidae is a family of marine bivalve clams of the order Carditida, which was long included in the Venerida. They are the type taxon of the superfamily Carditoidea.

Carditidae is a neglected and poorly classified family.^[1] It has six subfamilies recognised by the World Register of Marine Species, but the WoRMS has refrained from assigning contents to any family due to ambiguity and overlap in their definitions.^[2] Additionally, several genera have been or are still considered subgenera of other genera by some authors.

Genera

The genera of Carditidae recognised by the World Register of Marine Species are:

• Akardita La Perna, Brunetti & Della Bella, 2018
• Arcturellina Chavan, 1951
• Bathycardita Iredale, 1924
• Beguina Röding, 1798
• Cardiocardita Anton, 1838
• Cardita Bruguière, 1792
• Carditamera
• Carditellopsis Iredale, 1936
• Cardites Link, 1807
• Centrocardita Sacco, 1899
• †Choniocardia Cossmann, 1904
• †Claibornicardia Stenzel & Krause, 1957
• Coripia de Gregorio, 1885
• Cuna Hedley, 1902
  • Cuna aupouri Powell, 1937
  • Cuna carditelloides Suter, 1911
  • Cuna compressidens Powell, 1933
  • Cuna gibbosa Powell, 1937
  • Cuna laqueus Finlay, 1927
  • Cuna manawatawhia Powell, 1937
  • Cuna mayi Powell, 1930
  • Cuna mendica Dell, 1952
  • Cuna mayi Powell, 1930
  • Cuna otagoensis Powell, 1927
• Cyclocardia
• Glans Megerle von Mühlfeld, 1811
• Glyptoactis Stewart, 1930
• †Goosensia Cossmann, 1885
• Hamacuna Cotton, 1931
• Lazariella Sacco, 1899
• Megacardita Sacco, 1899
• Milneria Dall, 1881
• †Miodomeris Chavan, 1936
• Miodontiscus Dall, 1903
• †Paraglans Chavan, 1941
• Pleuromeris
• Powellina Huber, 2010
• Pteromeris
• Purpurocardia Maxwell, 1969
• Strophocardia Olsson, 1961
• Thecalia H. Adams & A. Adams, 1857
• †Tutcheria Cox, 1946
• †Venericardia
• †Venericor Stewart, 1930
• Vimentum Iredale, 1925

Synonyms:

• Arcturella Chavan, 1941 is a junior synonym of Arcturellina. It is not to be confused with Arcturella Sars, 1879, which is a junior synonym of the isopod genus Astacilla.
• Azarella is a junior synonym of Beguina.
• Agaria, Cardiocardites [sic] and Divergidens are junior synonyms of Cardiocardita.
• Actinobolus Mörch, 1853 is a junior synonym of Cardites. It is not to be confused with the rhinoceros beetle genus Actinobolus Westwood, 1842.
• Ceropsis Dall, 1871 is a junior synonym of Milneria. It should not be confused with the true weevil genus Ceropsis.
• Miodon Carpenter, 1863 is a junior synonym of Miodontiscus. It should not be confused with Miodon Duméril, 1859, which is a junior synonym of the mole viper genus Polemon.

Notes:

• In some classifications, Bathycardita is a subgenus of Cardiocardita.^[3]
• In some classifications, Centrocardita is a subgenus of Glans.^[4]
• In some classifications, Claibornicardia is a subgenus of either Glyptoactis or Venericardia.^[5]
• In some classifications, Vimentum is a subgenus of Cyclocardia.^[6]
• In some classifications prior to the 2000s, Carditella was included in Carditidae, but it has since been moved to Condylocardiidae,^[7] along with its former junior synonym/subgenus (now independent genus) Carditellona.^[8]
• Increasingly in several 2010s classifications, the subgenus Venericardia (†Baluchicardia) Rutsch and Schenck 1943^[9] is considered an independent genus.^{[10] [11] [12]}

Subfamilies

Chavan, 1969

The original six-subfamily system was first proposed by Chavan in 1969, contain the following genera (some of which are now synonyms or classified in other families):^[10]

Carditamerinae Chavan, 1969

Carditesinae Chavan, 1969

• Baluchicardia
• Cardites
• Claibornicardia
• Glyptoactis
• Ludbrookia
• Paraglans
• Xenocardita

Carditinae Férussac, 1822

• Beguina
• Cardita
• Jesonia

Miodomeridinae Chavan, 1969

• Chavanella
• Coripia
• Miodomeris
• Pteromeris

Thecaliinae Dall, 1903

• Milneria
• Thecalia

Venericardiinae Chavan, 1969

• Leuroactis
• Megacardita
• Pacificor
• Trapezicardita
• Venericardia
• Venericor

Perez, 2019

In 2019, D. E. Pérez proposed a seven-subfamily system for Carditidae.^[10]

Carditamerinae

• Carditamera
• Centrocardita
• Glans

Carditinae

• Beguina
• *Birkelundita
• Cardita

Miodomeridinae

• *Kolmeris
• Miodomeris
• Pteromeris

Palaeocarditinae Chavan, 1969

• *Palaeocardita
• *Schizocardita

Scalaricarditinae Pérez, 2019

• Coripia
• *Scalaricardita
• Vimentum

Thecaliinae

• Powellina
• Thecalia

Venericardiinae

* = not yet recognised by the World Register of Marine Species.

In addition, Pérez proposed possible affiliations for the genera not included in his subfamilies:

• Carditidae: Carditomantea?
• Carditinae: Goosensia?
• Cyclocardida: Ainicardita, Crassicardia, Lunulicardita
• Eucarditidae: Pseudocardia? (some species)
• Miodomeridinae: Miodontiscus
• Scalaricarditinae: Malarossia, Akardita?, Choniocardia (could be Cyclocardida)
• Stem-Carditidae: Fenestricardita?, Trapezicardita?, Gujocardita? (could be Permophoridae), Septocardia? (could be Cardiidae)
• Stem-Eucarditidae or Stem-Carditida: Izumicardia
• Venericardiini: Cossmannella, Cretocardia, Lazariella
• Venericardiinae: Cycloglans, Strophocardia, Maghrebella?, Subvenericardia?
• Uncertain: Milneria, Xenocardita

In some classifications prior to the 2000s, Carditidae used to contain a seventh subfamily Carditellinae, until it was reallocated to Condylocardiidae.^[13]

References

• (1979): New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand.
• (2008): Psamathini. Version of 2008-MAR-26. Retrieved 2009-FEB-23.

Notes and References

1. Perna. Rafael La. Brunetti. Mauro M.. Bella. Giano Della. 2018-02-13. Systematic position of two Pliocene carditids with description of Akardita n. gen. and A. iberica n. sp. (Bivalvia: Carditidae). Zootaxa. 4379. 2. 223. 10.11646/zootaxa.4379.2.4. 29689985. 1175-5334.
2. Web site: WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Carditidae Férussac, 1822. www.marinespecies.org. 2019-04-11.
3. Web site: Fossilworks: Cardiocardita (Bathycardita). fossilworks.org. 17 December 2021.
4. Web site: Fossilworks: Glans (Centrocardita). fossilworks.org. 17 December 2021.
5. Web site: PBDB. paleobiodb.org. 2019-04-11.
6. Web site: PBDB. www.paleobiodb.org. 2019-04-11.
7. Web site: WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Carditella E. A. Smith, 1881. www.marinespecies.org. 2019-04-11.
8. Web site: WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Carditellona Iredale, 1936. www.marinespecies.org. 2019-04-11.
9. Web site: PBDB. www.paleobiodb.org. 2019-04-11.
10. Pérez. Damián Eduardo. 2019-01-15. Phylogenetic relationships of the family Carditidae (Bivalvia: Archiheterodonta). Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 17. 16. 1139–1175. 10.1080/14772019.2018.1532463. 92392950. 1477-2019. free. 2019JSPal..17.1359P .
11. Lockwood. Rowan. McClure. Kate J.. May 2015. Relationships among Venericardia (Bivalvia: Carditidae) on the U.S. Coastal Plain during the Paleogene. Journal of Paleontology. en. 89. 3. 2. 10.1017/jpa.2015.23. 2015JPal...89..522M . 4483535. 0022-3360.
12. Pérez. Damián E.. del Río. Claudia J.. November 2017. The family Carditidae (Bivalvia) in the early Danian of Patagonia (Argentina). Journal of Paleontology. en. 91. 6. 1148–1165. 10.1017/jpa.2017.69. 0022-3360. free. 2017JPal...91.1148P . 11336/48035. free.
13. Book: A Catalogue of the Living Marine Bivalve Molluscs of China. Bernard. F. R.. Cai. Ying-Ya. Morton. Brian. 1993-06-01. Hong Kong University Press. 9789622093249. 12. en.