Genus Ensis Schumacher, 1817

Ensis Schumacher, 1817: 143

Ensatella Swainson, 1840: 365, objective synonym,

type species: Ensatella europea Swainson, 1840 (= Ensis ensis, (Linnaeus, 1758)) .

Hypogaea Poli, 1791: 29 (partim) (see remarks).

Type species: Ensis magnus Schumacher, 1817: 143, pl. 14, fig. 1 [= Solen ensis Linnaeus, 1758], by monotypy.

Diagnosis: Shell length up to 250 mm, elongate, equivalve, with sharp and smooth edges; umbo anterior, terminal; hinge plate with two cardinal teeth in the right valve, anterior one vertical to hinge plate (rvt) aand posterior one horizontally oriented (rht), elongate; four cardinal teeth in the left valve, two anterior ones, small, vertically placed (lvt1, lvt2) and two somewhat larger and horizontally oriented (lht1, lht2).

Remarks: The genus Ensis currently includes 14 species (Coan & Valentich-Scott 2012; Cosel 2009; Huber 2010). Ensatella Swainson, 1840 and Hypogea Poli, 1791, are synonyms (Coan & Valentich-Scott 2012). The former genus — type species E. europea Swainson, 1840, = Ensis ensis (Linnaeus, 1758) —was introduced to distinguish more curved species from the genus Solen . Hypogea included species belonging to Solenidae, Pharidae, Pholadidae and Tellinidae . According to the genetic study by Vierna Fernández (2014), eight valid species of Ensis are recognized from the Atlantic Ocean.

Distribution: Europe, Atlantic coast of America, western Africa, Pacific coast of America from USA to Chile (Coan & Valentich-Scott 2012; Cosel 1993, 2009; Guerra et al. 2011; Huber 2010).