These small bivalved shells are attached to the substrate with a stalk-like pedicle that extends through a small hole near the hinge of one of the valves, and this little round hole is an easy way to distinguish an empty shell from molluscan bivalves. We have seen these under rocks in various parts of the atoll, and the empty shells are common in sediment samples brought up from as deep as 70m on the seaward reef.
Created 6 February 2019