Solemyidae: Solemya (Solemyarina) velesiana Iredale, 1931 (‘pygmy date-shell’)

Synonym(s): velesiana Iredale, 1931.

Typical shell-length 12 mm. The shiny brown periostracum overlaps the shell’s anterior margins and is persistent, though it often splits. Lives intertidally and subtidally in sand and mud, especially in oxygen-deficient sediments. Native. Endemic to southeastern Australia (NSW, TAS, VIC and SA). In Tasmanian waters, this is a rare species with few confirmed records.