Saccella motutaraensis

Saccella motutaraensis is an extinct species of bivalve, a marine mollusc in the family Nuculanidae. Fossils of the species date to early Miocene strata of the west coast of the Auckland Region, New Zealand.

Description

In the original description, Powell described the species as follows:
The holotype of the species measures in height and in diameter. The species can be identified due to its distinctive outline and sculpture.

Taxonomy

The species was first described by A. W. B. Powell in 1935 as Nuculana motutaraensis. Its current accepted name is Saccella motutaraensis. The holotype was collected at an unknown date prior to 1935 from fallen rocks at the southern end of Maukatia Bay, south of Muriwai, Auckland Region, and is held in the collections of Auckland War Memorial Museum.

Distribution

This extinct marine species occurs in early Miocene strata of the Nihotupu Formation of New Zealand, on the west coast of the Waitākere Ranges of the Auckland Region, New Zealand. The Powell Bay site deposits of the Nihotupu Formation in the western Waitākere Ranges are mid-bathyal.