A phylogenetic reconstruction based on 506 nucleotides near the 5' end of the 18S subunit of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) in 2 gastropod, 3 chiton and 28 bivalve mollusks supported the monophyly and sister group relationship of the subclasses Heterodonta and Palaeoheterodonta but could not confidently establish either the monophyly or the phylogenetic relationships of the morphologically well defined s...

The shells of the pelagic larvae of bivalve mollusks may be useful as paleoclimatic indicators. An inverse relationship between temperature and maximum size of larval shells within a particular population is reported for a number of Recent species. Changes in the dimensions of the prodissoconch-dissoconch boundary on juvenile specimens may reflect changes in the ambient temperature of marine en...

An epidemic of leukemia among bivalve molluscs is spreading along the Atlantic coast of North America, with a serious population decline of soft-shelled clams. In this issue of Cell, Metzger et al. use forensic DNA markers to demonstrate that the leukemia cells have a clonal origin and appear to be transmitted through sea water.

Vibrio tubiashii subsp. europaeus is a bivalve pathogen isolated during episodes of mortality affecting larval cultures in different shellfish hatcheries. Here, we announce the draft genome sequence of the type strain PP-638 and describe potential virulence factors, which may provide insight into the mechanism of pathogenicity.

Population-level genetic diversity in the obligate symbiosis between the bivalve Solemya velum and its thioautotrophic bacterial endosymbiont was examined. Distinct populations along the New England coast shared a single mitochondrial genotype but were fixed for unique symbiont genotypes, indicating high levels of symbiont genetic structuring and potential symbiont-host decoupling.

We have purified DNA from gill tissue of a marine bivalve, Calyptogena soyoae, collected from the deep-sea cold seep communities in Sagami Bay, Japan. An rRNA gene was amplified, cloned, and sequenced. In situ hybridization revealed that the sequence is that of a bacterial endosymbiont within the gill of C. soyoae.

Small specimens of the Asiatic bivalve Corbicula c.f. fluminea (Müller) secrete long mucous threads through their exhalent siphons that act as draglines to buoy the animal into a water column. These mucous strands, secreted in response to water current stimuli, are produced by dense accumulations of ctenidial mucocytes and may help in the downstream or interstream dispersal of this rapidly spre...

In mammals, estrogens have both doseand cell-type specific effects on immune cells and may act as pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory stimuli depending on the setting. Evidence has been provided that in the bivalve mollusc Mytilus the natural estrogen 17β-estradiol (E2) can affect neuro-immune functions. In this work the immunomodulatory role of E2 in Mytilus hemocytes, the cells responsible...

Domoic acid (DA) was identified as the toxin responsible for an outbreak of illness in Canada in 1987, caused by eating blue mussels that had accumulated DA as a result of the presence of Pseudo-nitzschia pungens. It is named amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP). Since a regulatory level of 20 mg DA/kg of shellfish meat was established. The methods of determination of domoic acid are reviewed: bio...

a r t i c l e i n f o Uranium concentrations in foraminiferal and coral skeletons track oceanic [CO 3 2 − ] and can be useful as a proxy of ocean acidification, but this pH proxy is yet to be investigated in bivalves. Two Saxidomus giganteus shells from the industrialized Puget Sound (WA, USA) and one from the more pristine Kodiak Island (AK, USA) were sampled through ontogeny for U/Ca using la...