Family: |
Teredinidae (shipworms) |
Max. size: |
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Environment: |
benthic; marine |
Distribution: |
Indo-Pacific. |
Diagnosis: |
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Biology: |
May reach a length of 155 cm and a diameter of 6 cm. Found intertidal in mangrove mud (Ref. 53). Giant bivalve that burrows in black, organic-rich sediments in a marine bay, setting it apart from wood-boring shipworms. Descended from wood-feeding ancestors. Feeds by harboring sulfur-oxidizing chemoautotrophic (thioautotrophic) bacteria in contrast with other shipworms which use cellulolytic symbionts to obtain nutrition from decaying wood (Ref. 114919). |
IUCN Red List Status: |
Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. 123251)
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Threat to humans: |
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Country info: |
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