Page 64 - Animals of the Sakhalin Region in myths and legends

Pearl mussel, Sakhalin

(Kurilinaia laevis)

Large bivalve mollusc. Sink length up to
136 mm. The shell is dark brown or black
on the outside, oblong-oval. The tops of
the head are slightly protruding. The shell
at the crown is usually badly corroded.
The lock consists of cardinal anterior teeth
and posterior rudiments in the form of thin
ridges. The ventral margin of the valve is
slightly concave or straight. The mother-
of-pearl layer is white, white-pink or lilac,
often with olive spots
It is found in the mountain rivers of the
South Sakhalin, the southern islands of the
Kuril ridge (Kunashir, Shikotan). Outside
of Russia, it lives in Japan (Hokkaido,
Honshu).

Pearl mussel, Tiunova

(Dahurinaia tiunovae)

The shell reaches 170–190 mm in length.
The ratio of the convexity of the shell to its
maximum height is not less than 0.65–0.67.
Outside, the shell is dark brown, almost
black, elongated-oval, somewhat flattened,
sometimes strongly corroded. The tops of the
head are weakly protruding. The lock consists
of only cardinal anterior teeth. The posterior
teeth are reduced. The ventral margin of the
valve is concave. Pearl layer is white-pink.
Distributed in the Ussuro-Khanka basin, in
the north-west of Sakhalin and in the upper
Amur basin. On about. Sakhalin is known
from the river. Langres.

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