Unloved, paraphyletic or misplaced: new genera and species of small to minute lucinid bivalves and their relationships (Bivalvia, Lucinidae)

Abstract

Species identified as Pillucina are paraphyletic in molecular analyses and a new generic name, Rugalucina, is introduced for a complex of three similar species Rugalucina angela from the northern Indian Ocean and Red Sea, R. vietnamica from South East Asia, and R. munda from northern and north eastern Australia. Lucina concinna from the Red Sea, previously synonymised with P. vietnamica/angela is recognised as a Rugalucina-like species but with a very short anterior adductor scar. Divaricella cypselis from Karachi is similarly now recognised as a distinct species, probably related to Rugalucina but with oblique commarginal sculpture and a short adductor scar. A group of minute Indo-West Pacific lucinids with highly unusual multi-cuspate lateral teeth and previously classified as Pillucina are separated under a new genus Pusillolucinagen. nov., with the description of three new species P. arabica, P. africana, and P. biritika from the Arabian Gulf, Mozambique, and Madagascar. Finally, a new genus, Notocina, is introduced for the small southern Atlantic species, Epicodakia falklandica, shown in molecular analyses to be misplaced at subfamily level and now classified in Lucininae and not Codakiinae with Epicodakia.