Biology and ecology of this species were described by Mikkelsen et al. (2004).
Small western Atlantic pteriid, with radial rows of narrow shell lamellae, generally bright coloration (commonly green to yellow), thin nacre (allowing external color and ornamentation to show through shell), a relatively strong ridge interiorly delimiting anterior auricle of LV, and anterior dentition with tooth in RV and corresponding socket in LV; intestine with twisted loop within visceral mass and passing dorsal to heart; pallial tentacles simple.
Bermuda, peninsular Florida (from St.
Augustine to the Florida Keys to the panhandle), ?Texas, Bahamas,
Greater and Lesser Antilles, Caribbean coast of Mexico, Colombia, and
Venezuela.
Recent
[The taxonomy is based on Mikkelsen et al (2004).]
Avicula (Meleagrina) longisquamosa Dunker, 1852: 76-77; – Dunker, 1872: 12, pl. 2, fig. 6.
Avicula longisquamosa Dunker. – S. Petit, 1856: 151 [name only]; – Beau, 1858: 21 [name only]; – Dall, 1885: 34 [name only, citing Dunker (1852), S. Petit (1856), Beau (1858) and Krebs (1864)].
Avicula longisqvamosa Dunker [error pro longisquamosa]. – Krebs, 1864: 131-132 [name only, citing Beau, 1858].
Meleagrina longisquamosa “d’Orbigny.” – Arango y Molina, 1878-1880: 268 [name only].
Pteria longisquamosa (Dunker, 1852). – Hayes, 1972 [unpubl.]: 52-58, pl. 2, fig. 2, pls. 6-8, 11f; – Abbott, 1974: 440, no. 5121; – Abbott & Dance, 1982: 301, fig.; – Espinosa et al., 1994: 114 [“rare”, name only, citing Arango y Molina, 1878-1880]; – Camp et al., 1998: 9 [name only]; – Brewster-Wingard et al., 2001: 210-212, 214-216, 218, 220, 223-225, 227, 228, 230; Trappe & Brewster-Wingard, 2001: fig. 3, table 1.
Pinctada longisquamosa (Dunker, 1852). – Mikkelsen & Bieler, 2000: 376 (table 1).
Pteria viridizona Dall, 1916b: 403; 1916a: 15 [nomen nudum]; – Abbott, 1974: 440, no. 5119; – Keen, 1937: 25 [“extralimital” to eastern Pacific fauna].
Pteria viridozona [error pro viridizona] Dall, 1916. – Dall, 1921: 17; – Oldroyd, 1924: 48; – Burch, 1944: 8 [“Specimens in the Golisch collection taken from the backs of deep sea crabs off San Pedro … a very questionable species with no member of the club sure of what it is”]; – Burch, 1945: 5 [name only; “questionable member of our [eastern Pacific] fauna”].
Pteria xanthia Schwengel, 1942: pl. 3, figs. 1-1a [July, nomen nudum], 64 [October]; – Aguayo & Jaume, 1948a: 1; – Fischer-Piette, 1982: 174.
Pinctada xanthia (Schwengel, 1942). – McGinty & Nelson, 1972: 11 [“rare”; name only].
Pinctada sp. – Brewster-Wingard & Ishman, 1999: 374 [“important Florida Bay faunal constituent”].
Pinctada radiata [non Pinctada radiata (Leach, 1814)]. – Smith, 1937: pl. 5, fig. 6; – Pulley, 1952b: pl. 4, fig. 14; – ?Voss & Voss, 1955: 226; – ?Abbott, 1958: 115; – Hudson et al., 1970: 7; – Turney & Perkins, 1972: 7, 9, 10, 12-16, 30, 31, figs. 6, 8, table 3; – Wingard et al., 1995: 7; – Ishman et al., 1996: table 2; – Brewster-Wingard et al., 1996: 18, 19, 21, 22, tables 3, 4; 1997: 9, 11, table 2; 1998a: 164, 166; 1998b: 6, 9, 12, 14, table 2, figs. 5, 6; – Brewster-Wingard & Ishman, 1999: 374-376, fig. 4.
Pteria colymbus [non Pteria colymbus (Röding, 1798)]. – Tabb & Manning, 1961: 584.
“Venezuelan beach at Puerto Cabello” [Dunker, 1852: 77].
Type material and repository: ZMB 101.674, 1 pair with byssus attached to RV; RV 27.6 mm H, 35.9 mm L; LV 34.0 mm H, 40.2 mm L. Kind of type and mode of designation: Holotype by monotypy. Figured by: Dunker, 1872: pl. 2, fig. 6.