Cardiidae – Cockles

Description

The family Cardiidae is one of the largest and best-known of bivalves. There are over 200 living cockle species and many more fossil forms.

 

Strong, compact, and heart-shaped, the cockle shell can be rolled over the sands and banged about without any damage to the live mollusc. Its siphons are short, and the foot is also well developed –indeed capable of moving the animal about in short leaps at the surface, where it normally lives. In many cockles, the siphons also bear light receptors.

 

Shell features are: completely symmetrical and equal sized valves; prominent umbones; strong radial ribs, which in some species carry spines; equal size muscle scars; no pallial sinus; and, two cardinal teeth in each valve. The internal margin of the lip may vary from lightly serrated to the definitely crenulated edge view, shown in the two species at right.

Classification

Class: Bivalvia

Subclass: Pteriomorphia

Order: Veneroida

Superfamily: Cardiacea

Family: Cardiidae

Major Genera

• • Genus: Acanthocardia

• • Genus: Americardia

• • Genus: Cardium

• • Genus: Cerastoderma

• • Genus: Clinocardium

• • Genus: Corculum

• • Genus: Ctenocardia

• • Genus: Dinocardium

• • Genus: Discors

• • Genus: Fragum

• • Genus: Fulvia

• • Genus: Laevicardium

• • Genus: Lophocardiium

• • Genus: Lyrocardium

• • Genus: Lunulicardia

• • Genus: Microcardium

• • Genus: Nemocardium

• • Genus: Papyridea

• • Genus: Parvicardium

• • Genus: Plagiocardium

• • Genus: Ringicardium

• • Genus: Trachycardium

• • Genus: Trigoniocardia

• Genus: Serripes

Tuberculate cockle (Acanthocardia tuberculata), Cardiidae

 

Acanthocardia aculeata Acanthocardia deshayesii Acanthocardia echinata Acanthocardia paucicostata Acanthocardia spinosa Acanthocardia tuberculata Acrosterigma attenuatum Acrosterigma biradiatum Acrosterigma burchardi Acrosterigma capricorne Acrosterigma cygnorum Acrosterigma discus Acrosterigma fucata Acrosterigma gratiosa Acrosterigma hobbsae Acrosterigma impolitum Acrosterigma kerslakae Acrosterigma maculosum Acrosterigma magna Acrosterigma marielae Acrosterigma mauritiana Acrosterigma okinawaensis Acrosterigma oxygonum Acrosterigma pristipleura Acrosterigma profundum Acrosterigma punctolineatum Acrosterigma selene Acrosterigma seurati Acrosterigma simplex Acrosterigma suduirauti Acrosterigma suluanum Acrosterigma transcendens Acrosterigma uniornatum Acrosterigma variegatum Afrocardium exochum Afrocardium richardi Afrocardium shepstonense Apiocardia obovale Bucardium ringens Cardium costatum Cardium indicum Cardium maxicostatum Cerastoderma edule Cerastoderma glaucum Ciliatocardium ciliatum Ciliatocardium likharevi Clinocardium nuttallii Corculum cardissa Corculum impressum Corculum lorenzi Corculum monstrosum Ctenocardia fijianum Ctenocardia fornicata Ctenocardia gustavi Ctenocardia symbolica Ctenocardia translata Ctenocardia virgo Dallocardia manueli Dallocardia muricata Dallocardia quadragenarium Dallocardia senticosum Didacna baeri Didacna trigonoides Dinocardium robustum Europicardium caparti Europicardium serrulatum Fragum carinatum Fragum fragum Fragum grasi Fragum mundum Fragum nivale Fragum scruposum Fragum sueziense Fragum unedo Fragum vanuatuense Fragum whitleyi Freneixicardia victor Frigidocardium centumliratum Frigidocardium eos Frigidocardium exasperatum

BIVALVIA-VENERIDA-CARDIOIDEA – Family: CARDIIDAE Lamarck, 1809 – (723 species, 68 var)- Sea