Atlantic Ancula vs Common Nut Clam

Ancula gibbosa compared with Nuculana pernula

Key Differences

• Atlantic Ancula is Least Concern while Common Nut Clam is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Atlantic Ancula	Common Nut Clam
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Mollusca (Mollusks)
Class	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)	Bivalvia (Bivalvia)
Order	Nudibranchia (Nudibranchia)	Nuculanida (Nuculanida)
Family	Goniodorididae	Nuculanidae
Genus	Ancula	Nuculana
Species	Ancula gibbosa	Nuculana pernula

Evolutionary Relationship

Atlantic Ancula and Common Nut Clam share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Mollusca. (Mollusks)

Conservation Status

Atlantic Ancula

LC — Least Concern

Common Nut Clam

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Atlantic Ancula	Common Nut Clam
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Atlantic Ancula

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Common Nut Clam

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Atlantic Ancula

The Atlantic Ancula (Ancula gibbosa) is a species in the genus Ancula. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Common Nut Clam

<em>Nuculana pernula</em>, sometimes referred to as a nut clam, is a small marine bivalve mollusk in the family Nuculanidae, part of the subclass Protobranchia. Like other protobranchs, <em>Nuculana pernula</em> is a deposit feeder that typically burrows into fine-grained marine sediments, using its palp proboscides to gather organic detritus and microorganisms from surface sediment layers. It typically inhabits subtidal and deep-water soft-bottom habitats along cold-temperate and boreal Atlantic coasts, with documented occurrences in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The species is currently assessed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, indicating that it faces a higher level of extinction risk than related species, potentially reflecting sensitivity to habitat degradation, bottom trawling disturbance, and shifts in sediment quality. Biological traits such as lifespan, body size, and diet remain poorly documented at a standardized population level for this species. <em>Nuculana pernula</em> contributes to benthic ecosystem function through sediment bioturbation and organic matter processing, and its Vulnerable status highlights the importance of protecting deep-sea and subtidal soft-sediment habitats from physical disturbance.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden