Chamelea gallina

Chamelea gallina is a species of small saltwater clam, a marine bivalve in the family Veneridae, the venus clams.[2]

Chamelea gallina
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Subclass: Heterodonta
Order: Venerida
Superfamily: Veneroidea
Family: Veneridae
Genus: Chamelea
Species:
C. gallina
Binomial name
Chamelea gallina
Synonyms[1]
  • Venus gallina Linnaeus, 1758
  • Venus striatula E. M. da Costa, 1778
  • Venus sinuata Born, 1778
  • Venus corrugatula Krynicki, 1837
  • Venus nucleus Statuti, 1880
  • Venus nuculata Locard, 1892
  • Chione schottii Dall, 1902

Taxonomy

Carl Linnaeus originally described Venus gallina from the Mediterranean Sea in 1758. It was not clear whether da Costa's 1778 Pectunculus striatulus was a different northern species or not.

Linnaeus afterwards mentioned that his V. gallina also occurs in Oceano Norvegico. In 1952, following Dodge, the name Chamelea gallina was considered to be valid. There were for a while two recognised subspecies: the Mediterranean C. g. gallina, and the Atlantic C. g. striatula.[1] However by 2016, the two subspecies were elevated to the species level, and listed separately on the database WoRMS.

Characteristics
Two beachworn valves of Chamelea gallina from Wales

The shell is solid and thick, with two equal sized valves and up to five centimetres long. It is broadly triangular but asymmetrical, having a round anterior margin but a somewhat elongated posterior. The periostracum is thin and the ligament connecting the two valves is narrow. The lunule is short and heart-shaped, light brown with fine radiating ridges. The shell is sculptured with about fifteen concentric ridges. The colour is whitish, cream or pale yellow, sometimes shiny, and usually with three red-brown radiating rays.[3]

Distribution

Chamelea gallina occurs on Eastern Atlantic coasts, from Norway and the British Isles, Portugal, Morocco, Madeira and the Canary Islands. It is also found in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea and is abundant in the Adriatic Sea.[3]

Biology

Chamelea gallina lives under the surface of clean and muddy sand at a depth of between five and twenty metres. It is a filter feeder, taking in a variety of microalgae, bacteria and small particles of detritus.[3]

Uses

This species is used for food. In 1995 the total recorded catch was 42,000 tons with the largest catches being taken by Italy and Turkey. The shells are mostly caught with dredges but some bottom trawling is done and some aquaculture takes place in Italy.[3]

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References
  1. Serge Gofas (2012). "Chamelea gallina (Linnaeus, 1758)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  2. Michelle Carter (2008). "Chamelea gallina. Striped venus clam". Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  3. "Chamelea gallina (Linnaeus, 1758)". Species Fact Sheets. Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, Food and Agriculture Organization. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
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