Gonimyrtea Marwick, 1929

Taylor, John D. & Glover, Emily A., 2013, New lucinid bivalves from shallow and deeper water of the Indian and West Pacific Oceans (Mollusca, Bivalvia, Lucinidae), ZooKeys 326, pp. 69-90 : 78

Genus Gonimyrtea Marwick, 1929

Type species.

Loripes concinna Hutton, 1885. Original designation.

Definition.

Shells small, subcircular to ovate, higher than long, inflated. Sculpture of closely spaced thin, low commarginal lamellae. Right valve with single cardinal tooth and small anterior and posterior laterals sometime present; left valve with two cardinal teeth and small anterior and posterior laterals sometimes present. Lunule narrow lanceolate. Ligament short, curved. Anterior adductor scar detached for about 1/5-1/2 of length.

Remarks.

There has been much confusion concerning the concept of this genus following from Chavan’s (1969) illustration of an Eocene species with little resemblance to the type and also his assignment of Alucinoma as a synonym (see Glover and Taylor 2007). We originally placed this genus (based on shell morphology) in the Myrteinae ( Taylor et al. 2011) but continuing molecular analysis (species described below as UGS-3 in Taylor et al. 2011 and unpublished data) suggests that it should be classified in the sub-family Leucosphaerinae , although the type species has not yet been investigated. As well as the genotype Gonimyrtea concinna from New Zealand we include Gonimyrtea avia and Gonimyrtea fidelis from around New Caledonia ( Glover and Taylor 2007) and two new species from the Philippines ( Glover and Taylor in press).