Ruditapes philippinarum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Venerida
Superfamily: Veneroidea
Family: Veneridae
Genus: Ruditapes
Species:
R. philippinarum
Binomial name
Ruditapes philippinarum
(A. Adams & Reeve, 1850)
Synonyms
  • Venus philippinarum A. Adams & Reeve, 1850
  • Tapes philippinarum (A. Adams & Reeve, 1850)
  • Venerupis philippinarum (A. Adams & Reeve, 1850)
  • Tapes japonica Deshayes, 1854
  • Tapes semidecussata Reeve, 1864
  • Paphia bifurcata Quayle, 1938
  • Tapes violascens Deshayes, 1854
  • [Tapes quadriradiatus?]

Ruditapes philippinarum, the Manila clam,[1] is an edible species of saltwater clam in the family Veneridae, the Venus clams.[2][3]

Description

Right and left valves
Opened shells in a bowl

The shell of Ruditapes philippinarum is elongate, oval, and sculptured with radiating ribs.[4] It is generally 40 to 57 millimeters wide, with a maximum width of 79 millimeters.[5]

Distribution

This clam is native to the coasts of the Indian, Philippines and Pacific Oceans from Pakistan and India north to China, Japan, Korea and the Kuril Islands.[6] 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.[7]

Habitat

Plate of Manila clams

This burrowing clam is most abundant in subtropical and cooler temperate areas. It can be found in shallow waters in substrates of coarse sand, mud, and gravel.[5] It lives in the littoral and sublittoral zones.[8] It burrows no more than about 10 centimetres into the substrate. It sometimes lives in eelgrass beds.[8]

This species lives in many types of habitat, being found in the intertidal zone, brackish waters,[8] estuaries, and under ice. It survives in a range of salinities and temperatures, with narrower ranges required for breeding.[5]

Biology and ecology

This clam may become sexually mature in its first year of life, when it reaches about 15 millimeters in width, especially in warmer areas such as Hawaii. In cooler areas it begins breeding at older ages and larger sizes. In warmer regions it spawns year-round, but only in the summer in cooler areas. The fecundity of the species increases with size, a 40-millimeter female producing up to 2.4 million eggs.[5]

References

  1. ^ Cordero, David; Delgado, Marina; Liu, Baozhong; Ruesink, Jennifer; Saavedra, Carlos (3 January 2017). "Population genetics of the Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) introduced in North America and Europe". Scientific Reports. p. 39745. doi:10.1038/srep39745.
  2. ^ "Ruditapes philippinarum". MolluscaBase. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Ruditapes philippinarum". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  4. ^ Morris, R.H., Abbott, D.P., & Haderlie, E.C. (1980). Intertidal Invertebrates of California. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
  5. ^ a b c d Fofonoff P. W., et al. National Exotic Marine and Estuarine Species Information System (NEMESIS): For Ruditapes philippinarum. Accessed 29 April 2024.
  6. ^ Fisheries and Aquaculture Organization of the United Nations: For Ruditapes philippinarum. Accessed 29 April 2024.
  7. ^ "Ruditapes philippinarum". iNaturalist. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Palomares, M.L.D. and D. Pauly (Eds.) SeaLifeBase, Version 03/2024: For Ruditapes philippinarum. Accessed Accessed 29 April 2024.

Further reading

External links

  • Media related to Ruditapes philippinarum at Wikimedia Commons
  • Data related to Ruditapes philippinarum at Wikispecies