Anatomy and behavior of Laternula elliptica, a keystone species of the Antarctic benthos (Bivalvia: Anomalodesmata: Laternulidae)

• Published in: PeerJ
• Main Authors: Passos, Flávio Dias, Sartori, André Fernando, Domaneschi, Osmar, Bieler, Rüdiger
• Other Authors: Brazilian Antarctic Programme, National Council of Scientific and Technological Development, Brazilian Navy and Brazilian Air Force, São Paulo Research Foundation, Pós-Graduação, Área Zoologia, IBUSP, FAPESP, U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Award, Rüdiger Bieler for the Bivalve-Tree-of-Life (BivAToL) Project
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PeerJ 2022
• Subjects: Antarctic; Ferraz; The Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14380; https://peerj.com/articles/14380.pdf; https://peerj.com/articles/14380.xml; https://peerj.com/articles/14380.html

Laternula elliptica (P. P. King, 1832) is the sole representative of the anomalodesmatan family Laternulidae and the largest bivalve in the Antarctic and Subantarctic. A keystone species of the regional benthic communities, it has reached model status, having been studied in hundreds of scientific works across many biological disciplines. In contrast, its anatomy has remained poorly known, with prior published data limited to partial descriptions based on chemically preserved specimens. Based on observations of aquarium-maintained living animals at the Brazilian Comandante Ferraz Antarctic Station, gross-morphological dissections, and histological sectioning, the comparative anatomy, functional morphology, and aspects of behavior of L. elliptica are described and discussed. Special focus is placed on the pallial organs (including elucidation of cleansing and feeding sorting mechanisms in the mantle cavity) and the musculature. Among the noteworthy findings are the presence of well-developed siphons furnished with sensory tentacles at its tips, some of which bearing eyes; large, folded gills and labial palps capable of sorting the material entering the mantle cavity; an inter-chamber communication in the posterior region of the mantle cavity; an ample ventral mantle fusion with an anterior pedal gape; the absence of a 4 th pallial opening; and the absence of a ligamental lithodesma in adult specimens. This study reevaluates the available anatomical data in the literature, both supplementing and correcting previously published accounts.