Novocrania anomala - Marine Life Encyclopedia

Novocrania anomala (O F Müller, 1776)

Novocrania anomala

Description: This brachiopod looks like a saddle oyster, attached to the rock with one of its valves. Brachiopods may look like bivalve molluscs, but are actually not related to them at all. Their shells are dorsal and ventral (back and underside) whilst a bivalve's shells are lateral, left and right.

Habitat: In deeper, colder water, becoming more easily found in Scottish sea loughs.

Distribution: In diving depths, shallower than 50m, mostly Scotland, but also quite common in Kenmare River, SW Ireland.

Key Identification Features:

Rounded inconspicuous shell, brown in colour
Attached to rock by one shell

Distribution Map: NBN map : National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

WoRMS: Species record : World Register of Marine Species.

iNaturalist: Species account : iNaturalist World Species Observations database

Picton, B.E. & Morrow, C.C. (2016). Novocrania anomala (O F Müller, 1776). [In] Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland.
https://www.habitas.org.uk/marinelife/species.asp?item=X70 Accessed on 2024-12-05

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