Hemphill’s File Shell, Limaria hemphilli

Hemphill’s File Shell, Limaria hemphilli. Size: 2.8 cm (1.1 inches) x 1.8 cm (0.7 inches). Shell collected from the beach of Bahía Concepción , Baja California Sur, April 2005. Shell collection, photograph and identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

Hemphill’s File, Limaria hemphilli (Hertlein & Strong, 1946), is a bivalve mollusk that is a member of the a Limidae Family. They are also known as the Swimming File. The shell was named in honor of Henry Hemphill, a mason by trade and an amateur malacologist. The described several species of mollusks he collected in the western United States and along the Pacific Coast and had several named in his honor.

The shell has an obliquely oval outline.  The shell is only moderately inflated with gaps posteriorly and anteriorly when the two valves are closed. The ears (auricles) are equal in size with the anterior auricle being sharply pointed. They have numerous, fine, radial ribs on the exterior surface. The shell is white in color. Hemphill’s File Shell reach a maximum of 2.3 cm (0.9 inches) in length and 2.8 cm (1.1 inches) in height.

Hemphill’s File Shells are found on rocky substrate from the intertidal zone to depths of 120 m (395 feet). They range from Central California to Peru, including the Revillagigedo Islands. They are found throughout the Sea of Cortez.

Synonyms are Lima hemphilli and Limaria valdiviesae.