Go to National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa
Volume 74, 1944-45
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Genotype: Cardium spatiosum Hutton. Pliocene.

This lineage of Cardiidae was relatively common in New Zealand in the middle and later Tertiary. Four species have been described, C. strangi Laws, Duntroonian (Oligocene), C. gudexi Laws, C. oneroaense Pow. (Miocene), and C. spatiosum Hutton (Lower Pliocene). The shells, especially of C. spatiosum grew to a

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great size, a length of 150 mm. being not uncommon. No close relatives of the group appear to be known in Australia or South America, the nearest being the North Pacific Clinocardium Keen and the North Atlantic Cerastoderma (Poli) Moerch. Maoricardium differs from Clinocardium in its high ligamental nymph and in the strong, cupshaped tubercles on the ribs. From Cerastoderma it differs in its much greater size, larger right cardinals, and almost horizontal left posterior cardinal which, besides, is close to the nymph. The left posterior cardinal is weaker and nearer the dorsal margin.

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