''Lajonkairia lajonkairii'' is an edible

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of 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 ...

in the family

Veneridae The Veneridae or venerids, common name: Venus (mythology), 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 m ...

, the Venus clams.MolluscaBase eds. (2022). MolluscaBase. Lajonkairia lajonkairii (Payraudeau, 1826). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=140727 on 2023-05-30

Description

The shell of ''Lajonkairia lajonkairii'' is elongated, oval, and sculptured with radiating ribs.Morris, R.H., Abbott, D.P., & Haderlie, E.C. (1980). ''Intertidal Invertebrates of California''. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. It is generally 40 to 57 millimeters wide, with a maximum width of 79 millimeters.Fofonoff P. W., et al
''Lajonkairia lajonkairii''.
National Exotic Marine and Estuarine Species Information System (NEMESIS). Accessed 22 May 2017. The shell is variable in color and patterning, being cream-colored to gray with concentric lines or patches. Individuals living in anoxic conditions may be black. The inside surface of the shell is often white with purple edges. The siphons are separated at the tips.Carlton, J. T. (Ed.) (2007). ''The Light and Smith Manual: Intertidal Invertebrates from Central California to Oregon''. University of California Press.

Distribution

This clam is native to the coasts of the

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and

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from

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and

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north to

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and the

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.''Ruditapes philippinarum''.
Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, FAO. 2017. It has an extensive nonnative distribution, having been introduced accidentally and purposely as a commercially harvested edible clam. It is now permanently established in coastal ecosystems in many parts of the world. It is common along the

Pacific coast Pacific coast may be used to reference any coastline that borders the Pacific Ocean. Geography Americas North America Countries on the western side of North America have a Pacific coast as their western or south-western border. One of th ...

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from

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California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, where its original introduction was accidental. It can be found in

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. It was first seeded in the waters of Europe in the 1970s, and there have been multiple introductions throughout the region. It has spread naturally in Western Europe over the decades, its adaptability allowing it to thrive in many coastal habitat types. It has been planted in

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, the

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, and

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for the purposes of

aquaculture Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. Nelu ...

Habitat

4022Common houseflies cats ants plants foods of Bulacan 58

This burrowing clam is most abundant in subtropical and cooler temperate areas. It can be found in shallow waters in coarse sand, mud, and gravel substrates. It lives in the

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 ...

and sublittoral zones.Palomares, M. L. D. and D. Pauly (Eds.
''Ruditapes philippinarum''.
SeaLifeBase. Version February 2017. It burrows no more than 10 centimeters into the substrate. It sometimes lives in

eelgrass Eelgrass is a common name for several plants and may refer to: * '' Zostera'', marine eelgrass * '' Vallisneria'', freshwater eelgrass See also *'' Potamogeton compressus'', known as eel-grass pondweed {{Short pages monitor