Lithophaga

Lithophaga; Temporal range: 225.0–0.0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Triassic to Recent
	One valve of a shell of Lithophaga truncata
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Order:	Mytilida
Family:	Mytilidae
Genus:	Lithophaga; Röding, 1798
Species
	See text
Synonyms
	Lithophagus Megerle von Mühlfeld, 1811; Lithodomus Cuvier, 1816;

Lithophaga, the date mussels, are a genus of medium-sized marine bivalve molluscs in the family Mytilidae. Some of the earliest fossil Lithophaga shells have been found in Mesozoic rocks from the Alps and from Vancouver Island.^[2]^[3]

The shells of species in this genus are long and narrow with parallel sides. The animals bore into stone or coral rock with the help of pallial gland secretions,^[4] hence the systematic name Lithophaga, which means "stone-eater". Their club-shaped borings are given the trace fossil name Gastrochaenolites.^[3]

Species

Species within the genus Lithophaga include:

Lithophaga antillarum (d'Orbigny, 1842) - giant date mussel
Lithophaga aristata (Dillwyn, 1817) - scissor date mussel
Lithophaga attenuata (Deshayes, 1836) - attenuated date mussel
Lithophaga balanas Dall
Lithophaga balanus Dall
Lithophaga bisulcata (d'Orbigny, 1842) - mahogany date mussel
Lithophaga cardigera
Lithophaga cavernosa
Lithophaga cinnamomeus
Lithophaga dactylus
Lithophaga fasciola Dall, Bartsch, & Rehder
Lithophaga gracilis Philippi
Lithophaga hawaia Dall, Bartsch, & Rehder
Lithophaga ilabis (Deshayes)
Lithophaga lithophaga (Linne)
Lithophaga nigra (d'Orbigny, 1842) - black date mussel
Lithophaga plumula (Hanley, 1844) - feather date mussel
Lithophaga punctata (Kleemann & Hoeksema, 2002)
Lithophaga rogersi S. S. Berry, 1957 - Roger's date mussel
Lithophaga truncata (Gray, 1843)
Lithophaga simplex

References

^ Gofas, Serge (2004). "Lithophaga Röding, 1798". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species.
^ Ludvigsen, Rolf & Beard, Graham. 1997. West Coast Fossils: A Guide to the Ancient Life of Vancouver Island. pg. 102
^ ^a ^b Kleemann, K.H., 1994. Mytilid bivalve Lithophaga in Upper Triassic coral Pamiroseris from Zlambach Beds compared with Cretaceous Lithophaga alpina. Facies 30, 151–154.
^ "integument (mollusks)."Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica 2006 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD