| Ensis ensis (Linnaeus, 1758) |
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Norway to Morocco, to Mediterranean.
In sand, from low intertidal to sublittoral.
Original taxon: Solen ensis.
Synonyms: europaea, phaxoides, sicula. One of the most curved Pharidae, with the shape of a katana – hence the name.
Above and below: 50cm deep, on sand, Almería, Andalucia, S. Spain. 100mm. |
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| Posterior end truncated; interior purple lilac; two cardinal teeth on left valve, only one on right valve. |
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| Castellaneta Marina, Taranto, Puglia, S. Italy. 78-80mm. |
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| Shallow water, in sediments between Omiš and Duće, Split-Dalmatia Comitat, S. Croatia. 106mm. Original pictures provided by N. Lete (HR) – (CC BY-NC-SA). |
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| In the harbour of Marseillan-Plage, Hérault, S. France. Original picture provided by T. Menut for iNaturalist – (CC BY-NC). |
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Young specimen of the neighbouring species Ensis directus (Conrad, 1843) preparing to bury itself. – Intertidal, Pointe du Chevet, Saint-Jacut de la Mer, N. Brittany, NW. France. 80mm. |
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Solen ensis in L. A Reeve: Conchologia iconica vol. 19, London 1874, via BHL.
« The sword Solen: shell very narrow, curved, depressed, striped with pale rose or gray beneath the epidermis, straightly truncated at the posterior end ; a little rounded at the anterior end ; dorsal margin sloped out in a curve ; ventral margin convex in an arch. » |
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| Solen ensis in T. Brown: Illustrations of the recent conchology of Great Britain and Ireland, London 1844. |
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| A young specimen from Plérin, N. Brittany. 100mm. |