Surf
clams
Family Donacidae
updated
Oct 10
Where
seen? The clam or its empty shells are sometimes seen on
some of our shores. The dead bivalves look like butterflies. These
clams are quick shallow burrowers in sandy shores in surf. They are
sometimes also called Donax clams.
Features: 2-3cm. Donax clams have
a two-part shell. The shell is rather triangular, generally smooth
with very fine grooves. In dead clams, the inside is sometimes purplish.
Surfer dudes! Surf clams actually
do surf the waves! They migrate up and down the shore by floating
with the waves and then rapidly burying themselves. By doing so, they
are able to move up and down the shore with the tides thus exploiting
food found in the different shore zones. This also helps them avoid
predators such as Moon
snails (Family Naticidae).
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Changi, Oct
10 |
What
do they eat? They
are suspension or deposit feeders.
Human uses: Some are collected
for food by coastal dwellers. In the Philippines, one species
is collected in fairly large quantities. |
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Family
Donacidae recorded for Singapore
from
Tan Siong Kiat and Henrietta P. M. Woo, 2010 Preliminary Checklist
of The Molluscs of Singapore.
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Donax
cuneatus
Donax faba |
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Links
- Donax
cuneatus
and Donax
faba on SeaLife Base: Technical fact sheet.
- Family Donacidae
in
the Bivalves section by J.M. Poutiers in the FAO Species Identification
Guide for Fishery Purposes: The Living Marine Resources of the
Western Central Pacific Volume
1: Seaweeds, corals, bivalves and gastropods on the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) website.
References
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