Mactra clams (Mactridae) on the Shores of Singapore

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Phylum Mollusca > Class Bivalvia

Mactra clams
Family Mactridae
updated Oct 10

Where seen? The Big brown clam that belongs to this family is often seen on our northern shores.

What are surf clams? Surf clams belong to the Family Mactridae. They are also called Trough clams.

Features: About 6cm. The two-part shells are thick and smooth. They are active burrowers of sandy and muddy bottoms.

Changi, Jun 06

Human uses: Some are harvested commercially, but are of secondary importance. They are, however, more regularly eaten by coastal dwellers.

Chek Jawa, Mar 04

Changi, Jun 07

Family Mactridae recorded for Singapore
from Tan Siong Kiat and Henrietta P. M. Woo, 2010 Preliminary Checklist of The Molluscs of Singapore.

Family Mactridae

Heterocardia gibbosula

Lutraria australis
Lutraria cf. maxima

Mactra achatina
Mactra cuneata
Mactra dissimilis
Mactra hepatica
Mactra inaequalis
Mactra mera (Big Brown clam)
Mactra violacea
Mactrinula dolabrata

Meropesta nicobarica
Meropesta pellucida

Micromactra angulifera

Raeta pellicula
Raeta pulchella

Spisula transversa

Links

Surf clams (Family Mactridae) on the The Gladys Archerd Shell Collection at Washington State University Tri-Cities Natural History Museum website.
Family Mactridae 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

Tan Siong Kiat and Henrietta P. M. Woo, 2010 Preliminary Checklist of The Molluscs of Singapore (pdf), Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore.
Wong, H. W., 2009. The Mactridae (Mollusca: Bivalvia) of East Coast Park, Singapore. Nature in Singapore, 2: 283–296. [PDF, 1.10 MB]
Tan Siong Kiat and Henrietta P. M. Woo, 2010 Preliminary Checklist of The Molluscs of Singapore (pdf), Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore.

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