Pteriomorphia

Pteriomorphia
A live individual of Argopecten irradians, family Pectinidae
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Subclass:	Pteriomorphia Beurlen, 1944
Orders
See text

The Pteriomorphia comprise a subclass of saltwater clams, marine bivalve mollusks.^[1] It contains several major orders, including the Arcoida, Ostreoida, Pectinoida, Limoida, Mytiloida, and Pterioida. It also contains some extinct and probably basal families, such as the Evyanidae, Colpomyidae, Bakevelliidae, Cassianellidae, and Lithiotidae.

This subclass of mollusks has lamellibranch gills, and isepibenthic. Some attach to the substrate using a byssus. The foot is reduced. The mantle margins are not fused. Gills are usually large and assist in feeding. This group includes the well known mussels, scallops, pen shells, and oysters.^[2] It also includes the only members of the class bivalvia to have rudimentary eyes.

2010 Taxonomy

In 2010 a new proposed classification system for the Bivalvia was published by Bieler, Carter & Coan revising the classification of the Bivalvia, including the subclass Pteriomorphia.^[3] However, the following taxonomy represents the current accepted arrangement of this subclass according to the World Register of Marine Species^[4]

Subclass: Pteriomorphia

Order: Arcoida^[5]

(Ark shells and bittersweet shells)

• Superfamily: Arcoidea
  • Family: Arcidae
  • Family: Cucullaeidae
  • Family: Glycymerididae
  • Family: Noetiidae
  • Family: Parallelodontidae
• Superfamily: Limopsoidea
  • Family: Limopsidae
  • Family: Philobryidae

Order: Ostreoida^[6]

(True oysters, winged oysters, scallops, file shells, and their allies)

• Superfamily: Ostreoidea
  • Family: Gryphaeidae, the foam oysters or honeycomb oysters
  • Family: Ostreidae, the true oysters

Order: Pectinoida^[7]

(Scallops and their allies)

• Superfamily: Anomioidea
  • Family: Anomiidae, the jingle shells and saddle oysters
• Superfamily: Plicatuloidea
  • Family: Plicatulidae, the kittenpaws
• Superfamily: Dimyoidea
  • Family: Dimyidae, the dimyarian oysters
• Superfamily: Pectinoidea
  • Family: Entoliidae, the entoliids
  • Family: Pectinidae, the scallops
  • Family: Propeamussiidae, the mud scallops
  • Family: Spondylidae, the thorny oysters

Order: Limoida^[8]

(File shells and their allies)

• Superfamily: Limoidea
  • Family: Limidae, the file shells

Order: Mytiloida^[9]

(Saltwater mussels)

• Superfamily: Mytiloidea
  • Family: Mytilidae, the sea mussels

Order: Pterioida^[10]

(Winged oysters and their allies)

• Superfamily: Pinnoidea
  • Family: Pinnidae, the pen shells
• Superfamily: Pterioidea
  • Family: Malleidae, the hammer oysters
  • Family: Pteriidae, the feather oysters
  • Family: Pulvinitidae, the pulvinitids

Fossil orders

• Cyrtodontoida†
• Praecardioida†

References