Plicatulidae
The Plicatulidae are a family of saltwater clams, marine bivalve mollusks, known commonly as kitten's paws or kittenpaws. These bivalves are related to oysters and scallops. The family has a single living genus, Plicatula, with a second, Harpax known from fossils.
Description
Plicatulidae are small, with weakly convex shells which are irregularly oval or even almost triangular. Typically, they attach themselves to a hard surface by the right valve. The ligament is internal and triangular.Life cycle
Plicatulidae members start off in the larval stage.Genera and species
All taxa marked † are extinct.- Harpax Parkinson, 1811
- Plicatula Lamarck, 1801
- † Pseudoplacunopsis Bittner, 1895
- Plicastulostrea onca: synonym of Plicatula australis Lamarck, 1819 ; a species from Thailand