Mellita tenuis
| Mellita tenuis | |
|---|---|
_-_Sarasota%252C_Florida_2023-01-24_(01).jpg) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Echinodermata |
| Class: | Echinoidea |
| Order: | Clypeasteroida |
| Family: | Mellitidae |
| Genus: | Mellita |
| Species: | M. tenuis |
| Binomial name | |
| Mellita tenuis H.L. Clark, 1940 | |
Mellita tenuis is a species of keyhole sand dollar in the family Mellitidae.[1]
Description
Mellita tenuis has a horizontally flattened test, similar to other species of sand dollars. The sand dollar can grow up to 15 cm in diameter.[2] Symmetrically across the test are 5 holes called lunules, 4 of which are ambulacral and line up with the petals and one is interambulacral and between two petals. The central lunule is a characteristic shared with other keyhole sand dollars in the genus.[3][4] The outer tissue of the sand dollar is often gray, green, or tan.
The genus Mellita contains multiple cryptic species, making it difficult to distinguish M. tenuis from other species of keyhole sand dollars.[5]
Distribution and habitat
Mellita tenuis is found along the coast of the United State from Louisiana to the western coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. While the genus Mellita is cryptic, M. tenuis's range is not believed to overlap with any other species in the genus.[5]
The sand dollar is found in sandy substrates to allow for it to easily burrow.[6]
References
- ↑ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Mellita tenuis H.L. Clark, 1940". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ Schultz, H (2006). Sea urchins: a guide to worldwide shallow water species (3rd ed.). Heinke & Peter Schultz Partner Scientific Publications: Hemdingen. p. 484. ISBN 3-9809868-2-9.
- ↑ Lawrence, John M.; Pomory, Christopher M.; Sonnenholzner, Jorge; Chao, Chi-Ming (1998). "Bilateral Symmetry of the Petals in Mellita tenuis, Encope micropora, and Arachnoides placenta (Echinodermata: Clypeasteroida)". Invertebrate Biology. 117 (1): 94–100. doi:10.2307/3226855. ISSN 1077-8306.
- ↑ Clark, H.L. (1940). "A revision of the keyhole urchins (Mellita)". Proceedings of the United States National Museum. 89 (3099): 435–444.
- 1 2 Coppard, Simon E.; Zigler, Kirk S.; Lessios, H. A. (2013-12-01). "Phylogeography of the sand dollar genus Mellita: Cryptic speciation along the coasts of the Americas". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 69 (3): 1033–1042. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2013.05.028. ISSN 1055-7903.
- ↑ Challener, Rc; Miller, Mf; Furbish, Dj; McClintock, J (2009-11-19). "Evaluation of sand grain crushing in the sand dollar Mellita tenuis (Echinoidea: Echinodermata)". Aquatic Biology. 7: 261–268. doi:10.3354/ab00199. ISSN 1864-7782.