THE FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY OF THE ANTARCTIC BIVALVE THRACIA MERIDIONALIS SMITH, 1885 (ANOMALODESMATA: THRACIIDAE)

The functional morphology of the Thraciidae is poorly understood.Although some morphological aspects of several members havebeen described, only Trigonothracia jinxingae from Chinese watersis known in detail. Thracia meridionalis is the only representativeof the family in Antarctic waters, and is common in AdmiraltyBay, King George Island, where it inhabits muddy sediments.Thracia meridionalis shares many features with Tr. jinxingaethat are typical of most Anomalodesmata, i.e. a secondary ‘ligament’of thickened periostracum, extensively fused mantle margins,ctenidia of type E, a ctenidial-labial palp junction of categoryIII, a stomach of type IV and simultaneous hermaphroditism.Thracia meridionalis is, however, strikingly different fromTr. jinxingae in a number of ways, such as the presence of afourth pallial aperture, statocysts of type B₃, heterorhabdicctenidia, direct communication between the mantle chambers,a deep-burrowing habit (individuals lying on the left shellvalve), siphons that retract into mucus-lined burrows, a stomachwith extensive sorting areas, a rectum which passes over thekidneys and separate male and female gonadial apertures. Thereis, therefore, a greater range of morphological diversity withinthe Thraciidae than previously suspected. (Received 27 April 2004; accepted 30 November 2004)