Brachiomya Jespersen et al., 2004

Valentich-Scott, Paul, Griffiths, Charles, Landschoff, Jannes, Li, Ruiqi & Li, Jingchun, 2024, Bivalves of superfamily Galeommatoidea (Mollusca, Bivalvia) from western South Africa, with observations on commensal relationships and habitats, ZooKeys 1207, pp. 301-323 : 301-323

Brachiomya Jespersen et al., 2004

Brachiomya Jespersen, Lützen & C. Nielsen, 2004 . Type species (original designation) Solecardia stigmatica ( Pilsbry, 1921) . Recent.

Description.

Shell small (less than 5 mm); transversely ovate; anterior end narrower than posterior end; inequilateral; hinge plate narrow; both valves with a small triangular pseudocardinal tooth beneath umbos; ligament internal, in oblique resilifer; mantle folds wrapped over most of the shell and anteriorly extended into a large inhalant-pedal siphon, posteriorly into a smaller exhalent siphon; mantle with many slender, terminally spatulate tentacles; foot elongate; gills with inner demibranch only.

Discussion.

Jespersen et al. (2004) distinguished Brachiomya from other galeommatoidean genera by the presence of extensive mid-mantle folds with many spatulate tentacles. Huber (2015) accepted Brachiomya as a monotypic genus. As Jespersen and Huber both postulated, we have found Brachiomya to group with members of the Lasaeidae . All species are likely to be obligate commensals with echinoid echinoderms.