| Anomia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Two upper valves of A. ephippium | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Pectinida |
| Family: | Anomiidae |
| Genus: | Anomia Linnaeus, 1758 |
| Species | |
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Anomia is a genus of saltwater clams, marine bivalve mollusks in the family Anomiidae. They are commonly known as jingle shells because when a handful of them are shaken they make a jingling sound, [2] though some are also known as saddle oysters. [3]
Contents
This genus first appeared in the Permian period of China, Italy, and Pakistan. [4] Anomia species are common in both tropical and temperate oceans and live primarily attached to rock or other shells via a calcified byssus that extends through the lower valve. [1] Anomia shells tend to take on the surface shape of what they are attached to; thus if an Anomia is attached to a scallop shell, the shell of the Anomia will also show ribbing. [1] The species A. colombiana has been found in the La Frontera Formation of Boyacá, Cundinamarca and Huila of Colombia. [5]
