Malleus (bivalve)

Malleus is a genus of hammer oysters (marine bivalve mollusks) in the family Malleidae. This genus includes 27 known species.

Malleus
Malleus malleus (Linnaeus, 1758), museum specimens
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Order:	Pteriida
Family:	Malleidae
Genus:	Malleus Lamarck, 1799

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)
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  Malleus malleus (Linnaeus, 1758)
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  Malleus malleus (Linnaeus, 1758)
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  Malleus malleus (Linnaeus, 1758)