Malleus is a genus of hammer oysters (marine bivalve mollusks) in the family Malleidae. This genus includes 27 known species.
Characteristic of this genus is the unusual "hammer-shaped" outline of the valves. The shells are nearly equivalved, but the hinge line is extremely long and is at nearly a right angle to the rest of the valves, which grow ventrally. The viscera of the organism are arranged in an oval-shaped patch near the umbones of the valves.[1]
Species
- Malleus albus Lamarck, 1819
- Malleus anatinus (Gmelin, 1791)
- Malleus candeanus (d'Orbigny, 1853)
- Malleus daemoniacus Reeve, 1858
- Malleus legumen Reeve, 1858
- Malleus malleus (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Malleus meridianus Cotton, 1930
- Malleus regula (Forsskål in Niebuhr, 1775)
Gallery
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Malleus malleus (Linnaeus, 1758) -
Malleus malleus (Linnaeus, 1758) -
Malleus malleus (Linnaeus, 1758) -
Malleus malleus (Linnaeus, 1758)
References