CLASSIFICATION OF SOLECURTUS (RAZOR SHELL)
KINGDOM :- ANIMALIA (Multicellular eukaryotic organisms)
PHYLUM :- MOLLUSCA (Unsegmented bilaterally symmetrical and provided with visceral mass, foot and mantle.)
CLASS :- PELECYPODA OR BIVALVIA (Bivalve shell.)
ORDER :- CARDIIDA (Gill filaments united by inter-filament and inter-lamellar junctions.)
FAMILY :- SOLECURTIDAE
GENUS :- Solecurtus (razor shell)
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION
Found in India and U.S.A. Also occurs in the Mediterranean Sea and the adjoining part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is present from the lower shore down to the shallow sublittoral zone.
HABIT AND HABITAT
Solecurtus is also a burrowing pelecypod
GENERAL CHARACTERSTICS OF SOLECURTUS (RAZOR SHELL)
- Commonly called as razor fish or razor shell.
- Shell valves are of equal size with parallel margins having lines of growth.
- Both the shell valves cover part of the body.
- Foot is strong and muscular boring organ without byssus. It swells with the inflow ‘of blood and protrudes from anterior end.
- Two siphones are unequal. Inhalent siphon is larger than the exhalent.
- Muscles are isomyrian. Both adductor muscles are of the same size.
- Pallial line forms the sinuses.
- At the anterior end of the animal there is a strong, protruding foot.
- At the posterior end, is the large mantle sac containing the gills; when relaxed, it protrudes and is twice the length of the valves, but it can be contracted back between the valves.
- Posterior to this are the two robust, contractile siphons. The maximum length of the shell is 8 cm
- Solecurtus swims backwards by jerking movements of the foot.
IDENTIFICATION
The animal contains unequal inhalent and exhalent siphon, hence it is Solenocurtus.
