| Donax cuneatus | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Cardiida |
| Family: | Donacidae |
| Genus: | Donax |
| Species: | D. cuneatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Donax cuneatus Linnaeus, 1758 | |
Donax cuneatus, the cradle donax or cuneate wedge shell, is a species of small saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc species in the family Donacidae.
This species is reported from the Seychelles, Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, China, the Philippines, Australia, New Caledonia, Fiji, and Vanuatu. [1]
Inhabits the intertidal zone. [2] The shells are shiny grayish white, with brownish or purple bands radiating from the umbos. As is typical in the wedge clams, Donax cuneatus is triangular and compressed, with the anterior end more rounded than the posterior end. [3] [4] The shell is medium-sized, 12mm at reproductive maturity up to a maximum size of 23mm. [5] The exterior of the shell is shiny and sculptured with fine concentric ridges and threadlike radial ridges, except on the posterior end which is more rugose. Lunules are found on both valves. [3] In the interior of the shell, the exceptionally large pallial sinus [4] is indicative of the long siphons of bivalves that dig themselves deep into sand or mud substrates. [6] In some areas Donax cuneatus is harvested by indigenous people as a minor subsistence food. [7]
Bivalvia, in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class of marine and freshwater molluscs that have laterally compressed bodies enclosed by a shell consisting of two hinged parts. As a group, bivalves have no head and they lack some usual molluscan organs, like the radula and the odontophore. The class includes the clams, oysters, cockles, mussels, scallops, and numerous other families that live in saltwater, as well as a number of families that live in freshwater. The majority are filter feeders. The gills have evolved into ctenidia, specialised organs for feeding and breathing. Most bivalves bury themselves in sediment, where they are relatively safe from predation. Others lie on the sea floor or attach themselves to rocks or other hard surfaces. Some bivalves, such as the scallops and file shells, can swim. Shipworms bore into wood, clay, or stone and live inside these substances.
A siphon is an anatomical structure which is part of the body of aquatic molluscs in three classes: Gastropoda, Bivalvia and Cephalopoda.
Donax is a genus of small, edible saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs with highly variable color patterns. The genus is sometimes known as bean clams or wedge shells; however, Donax species have different common names in different parts of the world. In the southeastern U.S. they are known as "coquina", a word that is also used for the hard limestone concretions of their shells and those of other marine organisms. They are called "Chip Chip" in Trinidad & Tobago and "Chipi Chipi" in Venezuela, "Stumpfmuschel" in German, and "Zaaje" in Dutch. In South Vanuatu Languages they are called "Kaiwi" or "Tumbar".
Plebidonax deltoides or Donax deltoides is a small, edible saltwater clam or marine bivalve mollusc, endemic to Australia. It belongs to the family of either the Donacidae, or the related Psammobiidae. It is most widely known as the pipi in the eastern states of its native Australia. In South Australia, it is called the Coorong cockle, Goolwa cockle, or Goolwa pipi, for the region where it is most abundant, or by its Ngarrindjeri name, kuti. In south-eastern Queensland, it is often also known as eugarie or (y)ugari, a borrowing from the local Yugambeh and Ugarapul languages.
The Donacidae, the "bean clams" or "wedge shells", are a family of bivalve molluscs of the superfamily Tellinoidea. The family is related to the Tellina.
A bivalve shell is part of the body, the exoskeleton or shell, of a bivalve mollusk. In life, the shell of this class of mollusks is composed of two hinged parts or valves. Bivalves are very common in essentially all aquatic locales, including saltwater, brackish water, and freshwater. The shells of bivalves commonly wash up on beaches and along the edges of lakes, rivers, and streams. Bivalves by definition possess two shells or valves, a "right valve" and a "left valve", that are joined by a ligament. The two valves usually articulate with one another using structures known as "teeth" which are situated along the hinge line. In many bivalve shells, the two valves are symmetrical along the hinge line—when truly symmetrical, such an animal is said to be equivalved; if the valves vary from each other in size or shape, inequivalved. If symmetrical front-to-back, the valves are said to be equilateral, and are otherwise considered inequilateral.
Leukoma staminea, commonly known as the Pacific littleneck clam, the littleneck clam, the rock cockle, the hardshell clam, the Tomales Bay cockle, the rock clam or the ribbed carpet shell, is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Veneridae. This species of mollusc was exploited by early humans in North America; for example, the Chumash peoples of Central California harvested these clams in Morro Bay approximately 1,000 years ago, and the distinctive shells form middens near their settlements.
The grooved carpet shell, or Palourde clam, Ruditapes decussatus, or Venerupis decussatus, is a clam in the family Veneridae. It is distributed worldwide and is highly prized due to its ecological and economic interest. It has been proposed as a bioindicator.
Mya truncata, common name the blunt gaper or truncate softshell, is a species of edible saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Myidae.
The truncate donax, abrupt wedge shell, wedge clam or coquina clam, is a bivalve species in the family Donacidae.
Donax hanleyanus, common name the wedge clam, is a marine bivalve mollusk species in the family Donacidae, the bean clams or wedge shells. It is widely distributed throughout the sandy beaches of the Atlantic coast of South America, from Brazil to Argentina.
Capsella is a mollusc genus in the family Donacidae, the bean clams or wedge shells.
Donax vittatus, or the banded wedge shell, is a species of bivalve mollusc in the order Cardiida. It is found on beaches in northwest Europe buried in the sand on the lower shore.
Cucullaea labiata is a species of saltwater clam or ark shell, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Cucullaeidae.
Laternula elliptica is a species of saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Laternulidae, the lantern shells. It is the largest bivalve found under the surface of the seabed in the Southern Ocean.
Venerupis corrugata, the pullet carpet shell, is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Veneridae. It is found buried in the sediment on the sea bed in shallow parts of the eastern Atlantic Ocean. It is harvested for human consumption in Spain and other parts of Western Europe.
Donax fossor is a species of small saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc species in the family Donacidae. This species is native to the eastern coast of the US, as far north as New York State; in the past it was sometimes incorrectly considered to be a northern, less colorful form of Donax variabilis.
Polydora glycymerica is a species of annelid worm in the family Spionidae, native to the northwestern Pacific Ocean, where it lives commensally in association with a bivalve mollusc, usually Glycymeris yessoensis but occasionally with another species of clam. The worm intercepts food particles being drawn into the mollusc by its feeding current.
Idas simpsoni, previously known as Adipicola simpsoni, is a species of saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Mytilidae, the mussels. It is a deepwater species and is only found attached to the bones of dead whales.
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