Limatula hodgsoni is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Limidae, the file shells or file clams. It is native to the seas around Antarctica.
Limatula hodgsoni grows to a length of 271NaN1, a height of 351NaN1 and a diameter of 201NaN1. The shell is white, oblong, thin, narrow above and somewhat convex; the posterior side is less curved than the anterior. The umbones are central and the ligament area is narrow and diamond-shaped. The valves are sculpted by 30 to 35 squamate ribs separated by grooves slightly narrower than the ribs. The ribs are finely marked by the annual growth lines.[1]
Limatula hodgsoni is found on the seabed of the waters around Antarctica at depths down to at least 769-2NaN-2.[1] It is very common in the zone deeper than 33-1NaN-1 which is the lower limit for anchor ice formation. In some areas, this zone is characterised by a layer of sponge spicules and dead mollusc shells a metre or more thick, overgrown by living sponges. This matrix is a biodiverse habitat rich in sea anemones, polychaete worms, hydroids, bryozoans and molluscs.[2] Limatula hodgsoni is the most abundant bivalve mollusc in this habitat and is preyed on by the starfishes Odontaster validus and Diplasterias brucei.[3]