Hickorynut
Obovaria olivaria
Diagnostics 6
SHELL
- size: small to medium. maximum 110 mm, but most under 60 mm.
- thickness: very thick anterior, tapering to moderately thin posterior
- shape: oval to almost round. no posterior ridge
- width: moderately to very inflated
- surface: smooth, matte
- beaks: inflated, very elevated and very anterior. sculptures rarely discernible, often prematurely dissolved/abraded at a very young age.
- color/markings: pale yellow to olive green with or without faint green rays, dark brown and rayless in older adults
- sexual dimorphism: subtle. posterior edge more rounded in females
- pseudocardinal teeth: strong to massive, facing backwards
- lateral teeth: well developped, arched
- nacre: white
Soft parts: foot white. mantle dark. inhalent siphon narrow, with short, dense papilae
Similar species/lookalikes: no other native similar shaped and colored species with very anterior beaks, such as round pigtoe, round hickorynut is likely to be found within current known range to this taxon, making it's identification relatively straightforward.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Philippe Blais, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by Philippe Blais
- (c) Philippe Blais, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by Philippe Blais
- (c) dbarclay, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by dbarclay
- (c) Matthew Ireland, all rights reserved, uploaded by Matthew Ireland
- (c) Philippe Blais, all rights reserved, uploaded by Philippe Blais
- Adapted by Philippe Blais from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obovaria_olivaria
