Coletas intensivas da fauna bentônica marinha da costa norte do Estado de São Paulo, realizadas pelos programas de pesquisa "Fauna de Praia/UNICAMP" de agosto de 1995 a julho de 1997 e "Biota/FAPESP" de março de 2001 a dezembro de 2002 recolheram 2769 exemplares pertencentes a dezesseis espécies, doze gêneros e sete subfamílias. A caracterização de cada espécie foi ampliada com redescrição e ilustrações detalhadas, baseadas nos caracteres da concha. Tabelas comparativas dessas características e uma chave dicotômica de identificação das subfamílias são apresentadas neste estudo.

This study concerns the Veneridae bivalves sampled during the research programs "Fauna de Praia/UNICAMP" and "Biota/FAPESP" carried out between August 1995 and July 1997 and between March 2001 and December 2002 respectivelly, in the north coast of São Paulo State, Brazil. A total of 2769 individuals belonging to sixteen species, twelve genera and seven subfamilies were recorded and the characterization of each species improved with detailed redescription and illustrations based on the shell characters. Comparative tables and a identification dichotomic key for subfamilies focused in this study are provided.

Donax gemmula Morrison, 1971 ocorre em praias arenosas da costa sudeste-sul do Brasil até o Uruguai. Espécimes foram coletados na Praia de Barequeçaba, São Sebastião, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. O comportamento do animal foi registrado "in situ" e em aquários e a morfologia funcional a partir de espécimes dissecados sob estereomicroscópio; detalhes da anatomia foram obtidos a partir de cortes histológicos. A concha pequena, lisa, subglobosa, e o pé grande, muscular, provido de um par de músculos elevadores bem desenvolvidos, permitem escavação rápida, vital em praias sujeitas à intensa ação de ondas onde a espécie vive. Aparato bissal vestigial ocorre desde a fase juvenil à adulta e este donacídeo de vida livre, infaunal, não migra acompanhando o ritmo das marés. As margens do manto possuem prega mediana duplicada; além de tentáculos captados, as pregas medianas possuem tentáculos sensoriais filiformes, longos, estes últimos restritos à região posterior do animal. A espécie tem hábito alimentar suspensívoro seletivo, o qual é revelado pela presença de ctenídios grandes, completos e homorhábdicos, palpos labiais pequenos e muito seletivos, intestino curto, fracamente sinuoso, separado do saco do estilete cristalino, e tentáculos ramificados formando um crivo em torno da abertura inalante.

Donax gemmula Morrison, 1971 is a small bivalve occurring on sandy beaches throughout the Southeastern Brazilian coast to Uruguai. Live specimens were collected from Barequeçaba Beach, São Sebastião, State of São Paulo, Brazil. The animal's behaviour was recorded in situ as well as in aquaria, and its functional morphology registered from specimens dissected under stereomicroscope; details of the anatomy were obtained from histological sections. The minute, smooth subglobose shell, and the large, muscular foot provided with a pair of well-developed elevator muscles allow fast burrowing, vital in the disturbed beach environment where the species lives. A vestigial byssal apparatus is present from juvenile through the adult form and this free-living infaunal donacid does not migrate following the rising and ebbing tides. The mantle margins have the middle fold duplicated; besides captate tentacles, the middle folds bear long, filiform, sensory tentacles, the latter restricted to the rear end of the animal. The presence of complete, large, homorhabdic ctenidia; small but very selective labial palps; short and few convoluted intestine, separated from the style sac; and straining tentacles encircling the inhalant aperture reveal the selective suspension feeding habit of the species.

The bivalves collected in the Western Antarctic and Subantarctic waters by scientists of the Instituto Oceanográfico - USP during the Scientific Brazilian Expeditions to Antarctical-IX are characterised through its conchiliological features, illustrated and their occurrence plotted in maps. A species of bivalve collected by scuba divers of the IO-USP on the Napier Rock, Admiralty Bay, King George Island during the Expeditions XV and XVI is also considered in this work. The material identified is representative of 25 species distributed among three families and four genera of Protobranchia, three farnilies and five genera of Pteriornorpha, five families and six genera of Heterodonta, and four families and four genera of Anomalo desmata. The main scope of this work is to provide searchers dealing with macrobenthic fauna with an ease identification guide to the bivalved molluscs of the sampled region.

The bivalve family Isognomonidae is represented in the Western Atlantic by the living genera Crenatula Lamarck, 1804 and Isognomon Solander, 1786. I. alatus (Gmelin, 1791) and I. radiatus (Anton, 1839) are the only Isognomonidae referred to the Brazilian malacofauna. The present work refers to the first record and geographic distribution of I. bicolor along the Brazilian littoral, and presents a re-description of the species based on shell characters, which include those of the prodissoconch. The occurrence of I. alatus and I. radiatus along the Brazilian littoral could not be confirmed, despite the intensive search for these Isognomonidae from Rio Grande do Norte through Rio Grande do Sul.

This paper reports a concise characterization, based on shell morphology, of 52 species collected dunng one year at intertidal regions of Barra Velha, Perequê and Engenho D'água beaches. Substrate information, species occurrence and geographic distribution are also provided.