CARDITIDAE, Ferussac, 1822

Oliver, P. Graham, Holmes, Anna, Killeen, Ian, Light, Janice & Wood, Harriet, 2004, Annotated checklist of the marine Bivalvia of Rodrigues, Journal of Natural History 38 (23), pp. 3229-3272 : 3253

CARDITIDAE Cardita variegata Bruguière, 1792

Habitat. Attached by a weak byssus under rocks and coral rubble from low in the littoral and sublittoral.

Distribution. Occasional, living at Petite Butte, Pointe Coton.

Remarks. The Rodrigues shells are small, scarcely exceeding 20 mm and often lacking the prominent black spots normally present on the shell. They agree with C. caliculaeformis Deshayes, 1863 described from Réunion but we suggest that this is no more than a variety of C. variegata .

Range. Indo-Pacific [R/M/S].

Figured specimen. 17.5 mm, NMW.Z.1999.073.00040.