''Saxidomus nuttalli'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of large edible saltwater

clam Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve molluscs. The word is often applied only to those that are edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the seafloor or riverbeds. Clams have two shel ...

, a marine bivalve

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Veneridae The Veneridae or venerids, common name: Venus clams, are a very large family of minute to large, saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs. Over 500 living species of venerid bivalves are known, most of which are edible, and many of which are ex ...

, the venus clams.''Saxidomus nuttalli''.
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). Common names include California butterclam and Washington clam.Washington Clam (''Saxidomus nuttalli'').
Encyclopedia of the National Marine Sanctuaries, NOAA. This clam is native to the west coast of North America, its distribution extending from northern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

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

Archaeology

This species was harvested by Chumash peoples on the central

coast, at least as early as the

Millingstone Horizon Millingstone Horizon is an archaeological period of Native American dominance denoting a period in California, United States involving extensive use of manos and other grinding technology. The interval is a subset of the Archaic Period; specif ...

.C.M.Hogan, 2008 The shells were used as currency by local native peoples.

Line notes

References

* Intertidal Marine Invertebrates of the South Puget Sound (2008

* C.Michael Hogan (2008) ''Morro Creek'', The Megaltihic Portal, editor Andy Burnha

Clams nuttalli Marine molluscs of North America Molluscs of the Pacific Ocean Molluscs of the United States Western North American coastal fauna Fauna of California Fauna of the Baja California Peninsula Seafood in Native American cuisine Chumash Commercial molluscs Bivalves described in 1788 {{Veneridae-stub

Archaeology

See also

Line notes

References