Solemya borealis

Solemya borealis
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Order:	Solemyida
Family:	Solemyidae
Genus:	Solemya
Species:	S. borealis
Binomial name
Solemya borealis Lamarck, 1818

Solemya borealis , the boreal awning clam, is a species of saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Solemyidae the awning clams. This species is found along the northeastern coast of North America, from Nova Scotia to Connecticut. ^[2]

S. borealis belong to the Petrasma subgenus; being characterized by having an elongated oval shell with parallel ventral and dorsal margins. Individuals may reach a length of 8 to 10 cm and have a periostracum of dark brown color.

Nutritionally, S. borealis contains concentrations of chemoautotrophic bacteria in inner gill filaments, symbiotically attached to the host. ^[3]

References

1. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
2. Abbott, R.T. & Morris, P.A. A Field Guide to Shells: Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and the West Indies. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1995. 1.
3. Conway, N.M., Howes, B.L., McDowell Capuzzo, J.E. et al. Characterization and site description of Solemya borealis (Bivalvia; Solemyidae), another bivalve-bacteria symbiosis. Marine Biology112, 601–613 (1992).