Arcidae – Ark Clams

Description:

Ark shells vary from small to large sizes and are mostly elongate or squarish in shape. About 200 species are found in this family, and the shells tend to be squared off and porcelaneous.  Their surface is sculptured by radial ribs and covered with a thick velvety periostracum. The beaks are hooked and usually apart from each other, forming a wide ligament between them. A wide, straight-edged hinge possesses numerous small teeth.

 

The animal frequently has a byssus by which it attaches itself to rocks or other substrata (see Ark Shell Photo Gallery, below). Interestingly, the 9 cm. Twisted Ark Shell shown at right has a nearly paper-thin, delicate shell, which is substantially larger than the shells of other ark clams, like species in the Anadara genus.

 

In the Arcidae, the presence of the hemoglobin pigment of vertebrates is most interesting. It is found simply dissolved (not in corpuscles) in both the blood and tissues and colors the muscle red (Morton, 1960). This is not typical of bivalves, which generally absorb oxygen from water directly into the tissues, without the aid of oxygen transport pigments like hemoglobin (or hemocyanin, which is found more typically in some gastropods). Where the water is very muddy, oxygen may be deficient, in which case any of these pigments facilitate oxygen transport into the tissue.

Classification:

Class: Bivalvia

Subclass: Pteriomorpha

Order: Arcoida

Superfamily: Arcacea

Family: Arcidae

Major Genera

• Genus:Arca
• Genus:Anadara (Mangrove Cockles)
• Genus:Barbatia
• Genus:Noetia
• Genus:Scapharca
• Genus:Senilia
• Genus: Trisidos

Kerang darah                                                          kerang buluh

Arcidae                                                                         Mossy ark, Arca imbricata

Barbatia (Calloarca) alternata                               Arcidae – Arca noae, Linné

Arca imbricata

Acar abdita Acar bailyi Acar botanica Acar clathrata Acar congenita Acar domingensis Acar donaciformis Acar dubia Acar gradata Acar marsupialis Acar olivercoseli Acar petasion Acar plicata Acar pulchella Acar rostae Acar sandersonae Acar squamosa Anadara adamsi Anadara aequatorialis Anadara antiquata Anadara auriculata Anadara bataviensis Anadara biangulata Anadara brasiliana Anadara broughtonii Anadara cardiiformis Anadara chemnitzii Anadara cistula Anadara concinna Anadara consociata Anadara corbuloides Anadara crassicostata Anadara craticulata Anadara crebricostata Anadara cymbaeformis Anadara daneyi Anadara diluvii Anadara ehrenbergi Anadara emarginata Anadara esmeralda Anadara ferruginea Anadara floridana Anadara gibbosa Anadara globosa Anadara gubernaculum Anadara inaequivalvis Anadara indica Anadara jousseaumei Anadara jurata Anadara kagoshimensis Anadara kikaizimana Anadara lienosa Anadara mazatlanica Anadara natalensis Anadara notabilis Anadara nugax Anadara nux Anadara oceanica Anadara oyomai Anadara passa Anadara perlabiata Anadara petersburgensis Anadara pilula Anadara pygmaea Anadara rotundicostata Anadara rufescens Anadara sativa Anadara satowi Anadara secernenda Anadara setigericosta Anadara similis Anadara subglobosa Anadara tenebricum Anadara transversa Anadara trapezia Anadara tricenicosta Anadara troscheli Anadara tuberculosa Anadara uropigimelana Anadara vellicata

BIVALVIA-ARCIDA-ARCOIDEA – Family: ARCIDAE Lamarck, 1809 – (758 species, 34 var)- Sea