Saxidomus nuttalli

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Saxidomus nuttalli
Saxidomus nuttalli - Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History - DSC06675.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Venerida
Superfamily: Veneroidea
Family: Veneridae
Genus: Saxidomus
Species:
S. nuttalli
Binomial name
Saxidomus nuttalli
Dixon, 1788

Saxidomus nuttalli is a species of large edible saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Veneridae, the venus clams. [1] Common names include California butterclam [1] and Washington clam. [2]

Contents

This clam is native to the west coast of North America, its distribution extending from northern California to Baja California. [2]

This is a commercially exploited species that attains a length of approximately 15 cm. [3]

Archaeology

This species was harvested by Chumash peoples on the central California coast, at least as early as the Millingstone Horizon. [4] The shells were used as currency by local native peoples. [2]

See also

Line notes

  1. 1 2 Saxidomus nuttalli. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
  2. 1 2 3 Washington Clam (Saxidomus nuttalli). Encyclopedia of the National Marine Sanctuaries, NOAA.
  3. ↑ Intertidal, 2008
  4. ↑ C.M.Hogan, 2008

References


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