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INT. J. BIOL. BIOTECH., 17 (3): 491-495, 2020.
REDISCOVERY OF VENERID BIVALVES BELONGING TO GENUS PELECYORA
DALL, 1902 FROM PAKISTAN
Muhammad Moazzam1* and Naseem Moazzam2
1WWF-Pakistan, 45-K, PECHS Block 6, Shahrah-e-Faisal, Karachi 75400, Pakistan) and
2B-205, Block 4-A, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi 75300, Karachi, Pakistan
*Corresponding author: mmoazzamkhan@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Pelecyora katiawarensis was originally described as Dosinia katiawarensis by Fischer-Piette and Métivier (1971)
based on holotype collected from Katiawar, Gujarat, West Coast of India and paratype from Sindh, along Pakistan
coast. No subsequent information on this species was available since its original description. Similarly P.
ceylonica (Dunker, 1865) was also known from Karachi but no recent records were available. Pelecyora nana (Reeve,
1850) was also known from Karachi, Pakistan but there seems no any subsequent record of this species from Pakistan.
The paper gives description of these species and their distribution along the coast of Pakistan based on recent
collection.
Keywords: Pelecyora katiawarensis, Dosinia, P. nana, P. ceylonica,re-description, distribution, Balochistan, Sindh
INTRODUCTION
Genus Dosinia from Pakistan is known through the work of Melvill and Standen (1906) who reported seven
species of this genus including D. alta, D. angulosa, D. exasperata , D. histrio, D. pubescens and D. subrosea .
They also reported D. globa from Karachi which included in synonym of Pelecyora ceylonica. Fischer-Piette and
Delmas (1967) in the their review of genus Dosinia reported six species from Karachi including D. alta, D.
subrosea, D. tumida and D. angulosa. They also reported D. derupta (considered as synonym of Pelecyora nana)
and D. ceylonica Dunker, 1865 (considered as a synonym of Pelecyora ceylonica) from Pakistan.
In a recent review Kazmi et al. (2018) reported ten species of Dosinia from Pakistan including D. prostrata, D.
alta, D. angulosa, D. levissima, D. histrio, D. subrosea, D. biscocta, D. penicillata, D. kaspiewi and D. puella.
However, no species of Pelecyora was recorded by Kazmi et al. (2018).
During a recent study of mollusca from Pakistan, collections have been made from coast of Pakistan (including
both Sindh and Balochistan Provinces) which revealed that the presence of three species of Pelecyora occurring
occasionally. Present paper re-describe based on the specimen collected from Pakistan.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Shells of bivalve molluscs were collected along the coast of Pakistan stretching between Keti Bundar in Sindh
and Jiwani in Balochistan since 1973. These shells were housed in Marine Fisheries Department, Government of
Pakistan as well as some retained by the authors. The shells were photographed using digital cameras.
Measurements were made to nearest of millimetre.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Three species of bivalves belonging to genus Pelecyora were collected from Pakistan coast which previously
have been reported by Fischer-Piette and Delmas (1967), Fischer-Piette and Métivier (1971) and Melvill and
Standen (1906). However, since publication of these reports, these species were not reported from Pakistan. In the
present paper these species are reported afresh with some details of their taxonomy.
Taxonomic Description
Pelecyora katiawarensis (Fischer-Piette and Métivier, 1971)
(Fig. 1)
Synonym:
Dosinia katiawarensis Fischer-Piette and Métivier (1971)
Holotype: Kathiawar, Gujrat, India. Paratype, from Sindh, Pakistan has Width: 19 mm; height: 19 mm; thickness (of
a valve): 6 mm.
492 MUHAMMAD MOAZZAM AND NASEEM MOAZZAM
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY 17 (3): 491-495, 2020.
Description (after Fischer-Piette and Métivier, 1971): Width: 32.5 mm; height: 32.5 mm; thickness for a single
valve: 10 mm. Yellowish white color. Fairly regularly rounded shape, except the hook which is moderately inclined.
The lunula extends over most of the anterior border and is 16 mm long and 5 mm wide; it is very lightly depressed
in relation to the rest of the valve, hull marked and barely obtuse. The ligament visible from the outside and 12.5
mm long. The ligamentous area is quite hollow, enough clearly defined, 23.5 mm long and 2 mm wide. The
concentric ribs are not very numerous. Their count, on the median line between two points 1 and 2 cm from the top
are 23 ribs. These ribs are separated by furrows as wide as they, inclined towards the peak. Approaching the
posterior edge of the shell the ribs gets weaken, gradually. The end of the pallial sinus is almost in the center of the
valve: in position slightly higher. This pallial sinus, very ascending, very broad at its base, has both sides which are,
from the bottom, before parallel, about two-thirds of the way; at this level each of them marks a sharp angle from
which the anterior side goes straight up to the top sinus, whereas the posterior side, consisting of two rectilinear
segments, of which the second short enough suddenly straightened up to join the anterior side and form a very
pointed vertex, is located in the axis of the pallial sinus. The cardinal plateau, rather sinuous, has a rather large
height: 3 mm at middle. Of the three cardinal teeth, the widest is the median, and the narrowest the posterior blade-
shaped; they are normally divergent and inclined. The lateral tooth not very prominent, is slightly elongated and
slightly oblique.
According to Fischer-Piette and Métivier (1971), this species resembles closely with Dosinia gibba described
from Tatiyama (Japan) by Adams (1869), however, it differs from it in the shape of pallial sinus which is rounded at
its end and its two sides deviate regularly and the base is very broad in D. gibba, whereas in P. katiawarensis, the
top of pallial sinus is sharply angular, and both sides almost parallel and widely separated. The pallial sinus
resembles with Dosinia tripla described by Romer (1860) and figured by Fischer-Piette and Delmas (1967), but this
species is sub-trigonal, while P. katiawarensis is almost circular. Specimens collected during present study come in
confirmation with the description given by Fischer-Piette and Métivier (1971) except that colouration of the outer
side of the valve has orange-red tinge in the middle which may be because of the environmental conditions of the
area rather than character of the species.
Distribution
This species is known from India and Pakistan (Fischer-Piette and Métivier, 1971).
Fig. 1 Pelecyora katiawarensis Fischer-Piette and Métivier (1971) sample collected from Jiwani in August 10,
2010.
Pelecyora ceylonica (Dunker, 1865)
(Fig. 2)
Synonym:
Dosinia ceylonica Dunker, 1865
Dosinia globa (Adams) Melvill, 1897
Dosinia (Sinodia) ceylonica Fischer-Piette and Métivier (1971)
Holotype: Sri Lanka
Description (after Fischer-Piette and Métivier, 1971): It has also been reported from Mekran coast and Karachi by
Melvill and Standen (1906) as Dosina globa. The dimensions of the type has a width 27 mm, height 26 mm,
thickness 15.5 mm.This species has a very high cardinal plane, a very ascending, narrow and terminally flattened
pallial sinus, a ligamentous area, which has two valves in conflict with one another. Ligament is not visible or
REDISCOVERY OF VENERID BIVALVES FROM PAKISTAN 493
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY 17 (3): 491-495, 2020.
narrow and letting the ligament perceive through a thin slit. Costulation is very peculiar: in the region of the apex, it
is made of blades erect and separated by large intervals. then the ribs become progressively less prominent and less
separated, and in the region of the ventral edge of the valve, they are juxtaposed bulges. The lunula is very delimited
or almost indistinguishable, the lamellous ribs reaching the edge of confrontation of the valves without their crossing
with the boundary
Distribution
This species is known from India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan (Arathi et al. 2017; Fischer-Piette and Métivier,
1971; Oliver, 1995)
Fig. 2. Pelecyora ceylonica (Dunker, 1865) collected from Keti Bundar, Sindh coast on March 1, 2013
Pelecyora nana (Reeve, 1850)
(Fig. 3)
Synonym:
Artemis nanus Reeve, 1850
Dosinia derupta Römer, 1860
Dosinia gibba A. Adams, 1869
Dosinia nanus (Reeve, 1850)
Pelecyora nana (Reeve, 1850)
Holotype: Malacca
Fig. 3. Pelecyora nana (Reeve, 1850) collected from Shamspir backwater on 12 May, 2007 (length 20.1 cm)
Description (as Artemis nanus) based on Reeve (1850): The shell is orbicular, subcordate, rather gibbose and
concentrally ridged. The ridges are sharp, rather distant. Area of the ligament is simple. Lunule very large and
superficial. The colour is white. Dosinia derupta which is a synonym of this species was described by from Malacca
by Romer (1860) and its holotype is housed in the British Museum. It measures 25 x 24 x 15.5 mm. It is reported
from Karachi by Fischer-Piette and Delmas (1967).
494 MUHAMMAD MOAZZAM AND NASEEM MOAZZAM
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY 17 (3): 491-495, 2020.
Distribution
This species is known to be distributed in Karachi, Bombay, Malacca, China (Amoy) and Japan (Fischer-Piette
and Delmas, 1967; Melvill and Standen, 1906; Parmar et al., 2019).
DISCUSSION
Genus Pelecyora was created by Dall (1902) to accommodate Cytherea hatchetigbeensis Aldrich, 1886 (now
known as Pelecyora hatchetigbeensis). Now this genus is represented by 15 species (WORMS, 2020). Usually
species belonging to this genus are confused with members of genus Dosinia Scopoli, 1777. It can be, however,
distinguished as lunule is sunken in member of genus Dosinia whereas in Pelecyora lunule is superficial and large
(Kilburn, 2000). According to Kilburn (2000) ten species i.e. Pelecyora gouldii (Reeve, 1864), P. trigona (Reeve,
1850), P. insulqrum (Fischer-Piette & Delmas, 1967), P. tripla (Romer 1860), P. derupta (Romer, 1860), P. exilium
(Sowerby, 1909), P. eudeli (Fischer-Piette & Delmas, 1967), P. sinuata (Gmelin, 1791) and P.nana (Reeve,1850)
are reported from south east Asia Of these P. derupta is now considered as synonym of P. nana.
Preston (1915) reported P. jukesbrowniana (as Sinodia jukesbrowniana) from Calcutta. Ramakrishna and Dey
(2010) reported two species i.e. P. jukesbrowniana and P. trigona from India whereas Tudu et al. (2018) have
reported 2 species from Odisha coast, India including P. excise and P. trigona. With addition of P. ceylonica from
Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka and P. katiawarensis from India and Pakistan, the total species known from south
and south-east Asia stands at 12 species.
Considering the diversity in the habitats along Pakistan coast especially muddy, muddy cum sandy and rocky
cum sandy shore it is expected that other species of genus Pelecyora may occur along Pakistan coast which requires
extensive surveys in the coastal areas.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors are thankful to Dr. Graham Oliver for confirming species of Pelecyora ceylonica and P.
katiawarensis.
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