A close-up photograph of the hinge teeth of a nut clam
Hinge teeth are part of the anatomical structure of the inner surface of a bivalve shell, i.e. the shell of a bivalve mollusk. Bivalves by definition have two valves, which are joined together by a strong and flexible ligament situated on the hinge line at the dorsal edge of the shell. In life, the shell needs to be able to open slightly to allow the foot and siphons to protrude, and then close again, without the valves moving out of alignment with one another. To make this possible, in most cases the two valves are articulated using an arrangement of structures known as hinge teeth (often referred to collectively as the "dentition"). Like the ligament, the hinge teeth are also situated along the hinge line of the shell, in most cases.
In most families of bivalves, the two valves of the shell are almost perfectly symmetrical with one another along the hinge line, although the placement and shape of the teeth may differ slightly in the left valve and right valve in order for the two valves to articulate properly.
Each related group of bivalves tends to have distinctive hinge teeth, and because of this, examining the arrangement of the hinge teeth in a bivalve shell is often essential for identification and classification.
A formal terminology is used to describe the different types of dentition.
Hingeteeth are part of the anatomical structure of the inner surface of a bivalve shell, i.e. the shell of a bivalve mollusk. Bivalves by definition...
structures known as "teeth" which are situated along the hinge line. In many bivalve shells, the two valves are symmetrical along the hinge line—when truly...
species in this family are morphologically unusual, with very elaborate hingeteeth, and the exterior of the shell is highly ornamented. The most striking...
edge (the hinge line) by a flexible ligament that, usually in conjunction with interlocking "teeth" on each of the valves, forms the hinge. This arrangement...
Bruxism is excessive teeth grinding or jaw clenching. It is an oral parafunctional activity; i.e., it is unrelated to normal function such as eating or...
hinge or articulate. The hinge line can easily be perceived in these images of a mussel shell and an ark shell. The hingeteeth, structures which control...
name Sibynophiinae is older, it has priority. They are commonly called hinged-teeth snakes. Sibynophiine snakes are between 30 and 100 cm in total length...
isomyarian (that is, their adductor muscles are of equal size). Three main hingeteeth are characteristic of the subclass Heterodonta, to which this order belongs...
pedicle and brachial valves hinge, locking the valves against lateral displacement. Inarticulate brachiopods have no matching teeth and sockets; their valves...
of the hinge. The right valve is flatter than the left and there are hingeteeth in both valves. The anterior ear is larger than that in other members...
heterodont refers to a condition where teeth of differing sizes occur in the hinge plate, a part of the Bivalvia. Zahradnicek, Oldrich; Buchtova, Marcela;...
plural forcipes is no longer recorded in most dictionaries) are a handheld, hinged instrument used for grasping and holding objects. Forceps are used when...
two halves of the shell be of equal size and shape, but by having the hingeteeth be in a single row, rather than separated into two groups, as they are...
Lizards in the genus Lialis specialize in eating skinks. They have hingedteeth and kinetic skull joints which flex allowing them to swallow their prey...
subgroups. Internally, the ventral valve has a pair of deltidiodont (blunt) hingeteeth. Each tooth is preceded by a dental plate, with the form of a sharp straight...
fly zipper is folded flat against the teeth when it is not in use, and the handle is held down by both slider hinge tension and the fabric flap over the...
larvae. Fifteen hours after fertilization the larvae have well-developed hingeteeth. Ten to twelve days after fertilization the larvae undergo metamorphosis...
loose. The ligament is external and there are several U-shaped cardinal hingeteeth on each valve. The largest specimen so far collected has a valve length...
Moore, 1952, characterised by simple hinge-line dentition consisting of small, numerous, similar hingeteeth, separate mantle lobes, poorly developed...
An articulator is a mechanical hinged device used in dentistry to which plaster casts of the maxillary (upper) and mandibular (lower) jaw are fixed, reproducing...
posterior teeth. This requires less force because the anterior teeth are further from the joint (analogous to stopping a door further from its hinge). The...
is the unique and complex dentition of the shell, (i.e. the interior hingeteeth that articulate the two valves). The dentition is particularly elaborate...
Midwest and mid-south. All have thick nacreous shells with well-developed hingeteeth, many also with external shell sculpturing of nodules or lumps. In 2012...
the same size, the absence of prominent hingeteeth, and the presence of byssal threads that hang off the hinge area for anchoring on rigid substrates...
A geared continuous hinge is a type of continuous hinge used mostly on doors in high-traffic entrances and features gear teeth that mesh together under...
foramen. Hingeteeth large relative to symphytium, with swollen bases (not supported by 'dental plates'). Cardinalia with inner and outer hinge plates separated...
food whole without much chewing. They typically have many small hinged pedicellate teeth, the bases of which are attached to the jaws, while the crowns...
shallow) and inflated ventral corpus, with rows of spines near the hinge. Hingeteeth are absent except in the oldest genera. The cardinal process of productids...
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