Hirase's scallop (strongly costate form) Volachlamys hirasei var. awajiensis

Description

Hirase's scallop (
Volachlamys hirasei
) is an uncommon pectinid shell occurring around east Asian coasts (chiefly a few limited localities in western Japan). This species comprises two phenotypic forms, i.e., shell with strong costae (
V
.
hirasei
var.
awajiensis
) and that with weakened or no costae (
V
.
hirasei
var.
ecostata
). The listed specimen is the former, a typical form of the species, collected from the Seto Inland Sea, Japan (43.2 mm in shell length and 41.9 mm in shell height, a buyer will have detailed data of collection). Although this species is supposed to occur also in China, the Chinese one may be a distinct species because its radial costae number is unequivocally less than that of the Japanese one, which represents the species. Enrich your shell collections with this species.