The endemic West African species of the family Glycymerididae (Mollusca: Bivalvia), with description of two new species 1 2 Frank Nolf and Frank Swinnen 1 Pr. Stefanieplein, 43/8 B-8400 Oostende, Belgium
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[email protected] Keywords: Glycymeris, GLYCYMERIDIDAE, Banié and Gabon, Glycymeris scripta (von Born, BIVALVIA , MOLLUSCA, new taxon, W Africa. 1778) in the coastal waters of Mauritania, the Canaries, Senegal and Sierra Leone and finally Abstract: Several decades after the discovery of Glycymeris stellata (Bruguière, 1789) in Madeira, specimens of a new species of Glycymeris, more Canary Islands, Mauritania, Senegal, Sierra material turned up from the Canaries and Leone, Principe Island, Cameroon and Angola. Senegal. This species is finally described in the A few other species are typically European and present paper. Specimens of Glycymeris Mediterranean but only occur sporadically in rafaelmesai sp. nov. from the Canaries and Madeira, the Canaries and the coasts of NW Mauritania have already been mentioned and Africa (from Morocco to Western Sahara): figured in recent literature. Further research also Glycymeris nummaria (Linnaeus, 1758) in the revealed its presence in Senegal and Angola. Canaries, Glycymeris pilosa (Linnaeus, 1767) Another new species from Angola is briefly throughout the Mediterranean Sea and the mentioned. The remaining endemic West African Atlantic coasts of Portugal, less frequently in species of the genus Glycymeris are described Madeira, Morocco, Western Sahara and and compared with each other in this paper. Mauritania and finally the recently described species Glycymeris vanhengstumi Goud & Abbreviations: Gulden, 2009, from Madeira, the Canaries and CFD: Private collection of Francisco Déniz Morocco, very similar to Glycymeris glycymeris (Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain).