Atlantic jackknife clam

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Atlantic jackknife clam
Ensis directus.jpg
Empty shell of Ensis leei
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Adapedonta
Family: Pharidae
Genus: Ensis
Species:
E. leei
Binomial name
Ensis leei
M. Huber, 1843
Synonyms
  • Ensis directus Conrad, 1843
  • Ensis americanus Gould, 1870
Jackknife clam, cooked, valves open Navalla.JPG
Jackknife clam, cooked, valves open
Ensis leei 01.jpg

The Atlantic jackknife clam, Ensis leei, [1] also known as the bamboo clam, American jackknife clam or razor clam, is a large edible marine bivalve mollusc found on the North American Atlantic coast, from Canada to South Carolina. The species has also been introduced to Europe at the end of the 70's and is already extremely abundant there in suitable habitats. The name "razor clam" is also used to refer to different species such as the Pacific razor clam (Siliqua patula) or Razor shell (Ensis magnus).

Contents

Jackknife clams live in sand and mud and are found in intertidal or subtidal zones in bays and estuaries. Its streamlined shell and strong foot allow Jackknife clams to burrow quickly in wet sand. Jackknife clams are also able to swim by propelling jets of water out of their shells. The Jackknife clam gets its name from their shell's extremely sharp rim and the overall shape bearing a strong resemblance to an old fashioned straight razor. Beachgoers can be injured when the shell is accidentally stepped on. [2]

At low tide the position of the Atlantic jackknife clam is revealed by a keyhole-shaped opening in the sand; when the clam is disturbed, a small jet of water squirts from this opening as the clam starts to dig. This species' remarkable speed in digging can easily outstrip a human digger, making the clam difficult to catch. Amos Winter of MIT has studied razor clams and how they bury themselves, in part by using a repurposed ant farm and glass beads.

Thus the species is not often commercially fished, even though it is widely regarded as a delicacy: in coastal Massachusetts, they are sought after in the summer by locals to make home cooked clam strips and most towns have ordinances regulating how many can be taken at a time. [3] The easiest way to catch jackknives is to pour salt on the characteristic breathing holes. The clam will try to escape the salt by coming up out of its hole, at which point you can gently grab the shell and pull it out of the ground.

Predators of Ensis directus other than humans include birds, such as the ring-billed gull (Larus delawarensis) in North America and the Eurasian oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) in Europe, and the nemertean worm Cerebratulus lacteus . [4]

The Atlantic jackknife clam is now also found in northwestern Europe, where it is regarded as a harmful exotic species, but is also commercially exploited. It was first recorded in Europe in 1978/79, in the Elbe estuary.[ citation needed ]

The Atlantic jackknife clam has inspired a kind of biomimetic anchor in development by a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, adapting the clam's digging method for use in keeping undersea cables and potentially watercraft anchored securely. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific razor clam</span> Species of bivalve

The Pacific razor clam, Siliqua patula, is a species of large marine bivalve mollusc in the family Pharidae.

<i>Ensis</i> Genus of bivalves

Ensis is a genus of medium-sized edible saltwater clams, littoral bivalve molluscs in the family Pharidae. Ensis, or razor clams, are known in much of Scotland as spoots, for the spouts of water they eject while burrowing into the sand, when visible at low tide. This term may also colloquially include members of the genus Solen. Ensis magnus are known as bendies due to their slightly curved shell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soft-shell clam</span> Species of mollusc

Soft-shell clams or sand gaper, scientific name Mya arenaria, popularly called "steamers", "softshells", "piss clams", "Ipswich clams", or "Essex clams", are a species of edible saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Myidae.

Razor clam is a common name for long, narrow, saltwater clams, including:

Jackknife clam is a common name which is used for several species in the genera Ensis and Solen within the family Solenidae, species which are found on Atlantic and Pacific beaches of temperate North America. Species in these families are also found elsewhere in the world, but in other English-speaking countries they usually have other common names. All the species in these genera have thin, highly elongate shells. Many of these bivalves are collected for food.

<i>Ensis minor</i> Species of bivalve

Ensis minor, or the jackknife clam, is a long, smooth-shelled, burrowing clam found in the Atlantic Ocean. These clams are often collected for food. Ensis minor can grow up to 17 cm (6.7 in) in length. It is white, sometimes with reddish-brown markings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Razor shell</span> Species of bivalve

The razor shell, Ensis magnus, also called razor clam, razor fish or spoot (colloquially), is a bivalve of the family Pharidae. It is found on sandy beaches in Canada and northern Europe.

The pod razor is a coastal bivalve of European waters. It is edible and has been fished commercially, especially in Portugal, Spain, Ireland and Scotland.

<i>Lajonkairia lajonkairii</i> Species of bivalve

Lajonkairia lajonkairii is an edible species of saltwater clam in the family Veneridae, the Venus clams. Common names include Manila clam, Japanese littleneck clam, Japanese cockle, and Japanese carpet shell. In Japan, it is known as asari. In Korea, it is known as bajirak.

<i>Ensis macha</i> Species of bivalve

Ensis macha, or navaja or navajuela as it is called in Spanish, is a bivalve mollusc of the family Pharidae. It inhabits the coasts of Peru, Chile and southern Argentina. It is different from the clam colloquially known as the macha in Peru and Chile.

<i>Ensis ensis</i> Species of bivalve

Ensis ensis, or the sword razor, is a razor clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Pharidae. It lives buried in the sand and is found off the coasts of northwest Europe.

<i>Lutraria lutraria</i> Species of bivalve

Lutraria lutraria is a species of large marine bivalve mollusc in the family Mactridae. Its common names include the otter shell and the common otter shell. It occurs in coastal regions of the north east Atlantic Ocean where it lives buried in the sand.

<i>Leptasterias polaris</i> Species of starfish

Leptasterias polaris, the polar six-rayed star, is a species of starfish in the family Asteriidae. It is found in cold waters in the northwest Atlantic Ocean and in polar regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gould's razor shell</span> Species of bivalve

Gould's razor shell is a bivalve mollusc of the family Solenidae. It is common in Japan in sandy coastal zones of the western, southern and northeastern coasts, and also in South Korea, China and Taiwan. It lives on the sandy littoral zone, preferring the depth of about 20–50 cm.

<i>Solecurtus strigilatus</i> Species of bivalve

Solecurtus strigilatus, also known as the rosy razor clam, is a species of saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Solecurtidae. This mollusc is a suspension feeder and can burrow with great rapidity to escape predators. It is an unusual bivalve in that its shell valves are too small to contain all the soft tissue, and the animal is unable to retreat into its shell.

<i>Cerebratulus lacteus</i> Species of ribbon worm

Cerebratulus lacteus, the milky nemertean or milky ribbon worm, is a proboscis worm in the family Lineidae. This ribbon worm has a wide geographical range on both sides of the northern Atlantic Ocean.

<i>Pharus legumen</i> Species of bivalve

Pharus legumen, is a species of bivalve mollusc commonly found burrowed in the sand on lower shores and in the shallow sublittoral.

References

  1. ↑ MolluscaBase (2018). "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Ensis leei M. Huber, 2015". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 17 August 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ↑ "Solenidae & Cultellidae (Razor & Jackknife Clams)". shells.tricity.wsu.edu. Archived from the original on 2017-07-16. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
  3. ↑ "Town of Ipswich Massachusetts : Shellfish Rules & Regulations". Town.ipswich.ma.us. Archived from the original on 2013-06-09. Retrieved 2014-02-24.
  4. ↑ McDermott, John J. (1976). "Predation of the Razor Clam Ensis directus by the Nemertean Worm Cerebratulus lacteus". Chesapeake Science. 17 (4): 299–301. doi:10.2307/1350520. JSTOR   1350520.
  5. ↑ Morgan, James. "'RoboClam' could anchor submarines". BBC News. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
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