''Ensis'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of medium-sized edible saltwater

clam Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve mollusc. The word is often applied only to those that are deemed edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the sea floor or riverbeds. Clams h ...

littoral The littoral zone, also called litoral or nearshore, is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely i ...

bivalve Bivalvia () or bivalves, in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class (biology), class of aquatic animal, aquatic molluscs (marine and freshwater) that have laterally compressed soft bodies enclosed b ...

mollusc Mollusca is a phylum of protostome, protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant taxon, extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum ...

s in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Pharidae Pharidae is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic family (biology), family of saltwater clams, marine (ocean), marine bivalve molluscs in the order Adapedonta. This family of clams is related to the Solenidae, razor shells, a family which is considered ...

. ''Ensis'', or

razor clam Razor clam is a common name for long, narrow, saltwater clams (which resemble a closed straight razor in shape), including: * Atlantic jackknife clam, ''Ensis leei'' (syn. ''Ensis directus'') * Gould's razor shell, ''Solen strictus'' * Pacific razo ...

s, are known in much of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

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.

Description

The shells are long, narrow, and parallel-sided. This shape resembles a closed, old-fashioned

straight razor A straight razor is a razor with a blade that can fold into its handle. They are also called open razors and cut-throat razors. The predecessors of the modern straight razors include bronze razors, with cutting edges and fixed handles, produced ...

(a cut-throat razor), or a closed jackknife (

pocket knife A pocketknife (also spelled as pocket knife) is a knife with one or more blades that fold into the handle. They are also known as jackknives, folding knives, EDC knife, or may be referred to as a penknife, though a penknife may also be a specif ...

) and sometimes these clams are known as razor shells or jackknives. The shells in these species are fragile and can easily be damaged when digging for these clams.

Ecology

''Ensis'' species live in clean sand on exposed beaches. They are capable of digging very rapidly; see the description under the

Atlantic jackknife clam The Atlantic jackknife clam, ''Ensis leei'', 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 ...

. Some clammers catch jackknives by pouring salt on the characteristic keyhole-shaped ''breathing holes''. The clam then tries to escape the salt by coming up out of its hole, and at this point it is possible to gently grab the shell and pull it out of the ground.

Species

Thirteen species are currently recognised: *''

Ensis californicus ''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, ...

'' (Dall, 1899) *'' Ensis directus'' (Conrad, 1843) – Atlantic jackknife clam *'' Ensis ensis'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the starting point of modern zoologic ...

) *'' Ensis goreensis'' (Clessin, 1888) *'' Ensis macha'' (Molina, 1782) *'' Ensis magnus'' (Schumacher, 1817) *'' Ensis megistus'' (Pilsbry & McGinty, 1943) *'' Ensis minor'' (Chenu, 1843) *'' Ensis myrae'' (Berry, 1954) *''

Ensis nitidus ''Ensis'' is a genus of medium-sized edible saltwater clams, Littoral zone, littoral bivalve molluscs in the family (biology), family Pharidae. ''Ensis'', or razor clams, are known in much of Scotland as spoots, for the spouts of water they ejec ...

'' (Clessin, 1888) *'' Ensis siliqua'' (

) – pod razor *'' Ensis terranovensis'' (Vierna & Martínez-Lage, 2012) *'' Ensis tropicalis'' (Hertlein & Strong, 1955)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2706031 Pharidae Bivalve genera