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Acesta excavata is the largest known bivalve associated with the Lophelia pertusa communities along the northeast Atlantic continental margin, but has also been found along steep cliffs, devoid of bathyal corals, and on more subdued topographies. During the Pleistocene, including the last glacial, A. excavata was widespread in the Mediterranean, but is in the Recent fauna known only from four Mediterranean sites. A new possible live-record from the Canyon du Var off Nice is presented. Radiocarbon dating (AMS ¹⁴C-method) on an A. excavata assemblage from the Strait of Sicily yielded a Late Pleistocene age of 39.9 ka. Biometric parameters indicate that Pleistocene Mediterranean shells achieved about the same maximum sizes as their Recent Atlantic counterparts, but individuals have been slightly smaller on average. The subspecies Acesta excavata sublaevis Nordsieck, based on a subfossil …