Veneridae

The Veneridae or venerids, also known as venus clams, are a very large family of minute to large, saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs. There are over 500 living species of venerid bivalves, most of which are edible, and many of which are exploited as a food source.

Many of the most important edible species are commonly known (in the USA) simply as "clams". Venerids make up a significant proportion of the world fishery of edible bivalves. The family includes some species that are important commercially, such as (in the USA) the hard clam or quahog, Mercenaria mercenaria.

Classification

The classification within the family Veneridae has been controversial at least since the 1930s. The most used classification is that of Keen (1969) which recognises 12 subfamilies, listed below. Some common species have been moved between genera (including genera in different subfamilies) because of repeated attempts to bring a more valid organization to the classification or taxonomy of the family, therefore changes in the generic name of species are frequently encountered.

The characters used for classifying this group still tend to be superficial, focusing on external features, especially those of the shell. Venerid clams are characterized as bivalves with an external posterior ligament, usually a well demarcated anterior area known as the lunule, and three interlocking structures (called cardinal teeth) in the top of each valve; in several of the subfamilies there are also anterior lateral teeth, anterior to the cardinal teeth: one in the left valve, and two (sometimes obscure) in the right valve. The inner lower peripheries of the valves can be finely toothed or smooth.

Description

Shell sculpture tends to be primarily concentric, but radial and divaricating ornamentation (see Gafrarium), and rarely spines (Pitar lupanaria for example) occur on some. One small subfamily, Samarangiinae, is created for a unique and rare clam found in coral reefs with an outer covering of cemented sand or mud that texturally camouflages it while enhancing the thickness of the shell. Several Venerid clams have overall shell shapes that are adapted to their environment. Tivela species, for example, have the triangular outline of the surf clams in other bivalve families, and occur often in surf zones. Some Dosinia species are almost disc-like in shape and reminiscent of Lucinid bivalves; both types of circular bivalves tend to burrow relatively deeply into the sediment. Further reclassification is to be expected as the results of current research in molecular systematics on the group appear in the literature.

Subfamilies according to Keen (1969)

Chioninae
Circinae
Clementinae
Cyclinae
Dosiniinae
Gemminae
Meretricinae
Pitarinae
Samaranginae
Sunettinae
Tapetinae
Venerinae

List of genera in the family Veneridae

(may be incomplete)

''Agriopoma Dall, 1902
''Amiantis'' Carpenter, 1884
''Anomalocardia'' Schumacher, 1817
''Austrovenus'' Finlay,1927
''Bassina'' Jukes-Browne, 1914
''Callista'' Poli, 1791
''Chamelea'' Mörch, 1853
''Chione'' Megerle von Mühlfeld, 1811
''Chionopsis'' Olsson, 1932
''Chionista'' Keen, 1958
''Circomphalus'' Klein, 1853
''Clausinella'' J. E. Gray, 1851
''Compsomyax'' Stewart, 1930
''Cyclinella'' Dall, 1902
''Dosina'' Gray, 1835
''Dosinia'' Scopoli, 1777
''Gafrarium'' Röding, 1798
''Gemma'' Deshayes, 1853
''Globivenus'' Coen, 1934
''Gouldia'' C. B. Adams, 1847
''Humilaria'' Grant and Gale, 1931
''Irus'' Schmidt, 1818
''Irusella'' Hertlein and Grant, 1972
''Lioconcha''
Liocyma Dall, 1870
Lirophora Conrad, 1883
Macrocallista Meek, 1876
Mercenaria Schumacher, 1817
Meretrix Linnaeus, 1758
Notirus Finlay, 1928
Notocallista Iredale, 1924
Nutricola Bernard, 1982
Parastarte Conrad, 1862
Periglypta Jukes-Browne, 1914
Pitar Römer, 1857
Protothaca Dall, 1902
Psephidia Dall, 1902
Ruditapes
Saxidomus Conrad, 1837
Tapes Muhlfeld, 1811
Tawera Marwick, 1927
Timoclea Brown, 1827
Tivela Link, 1807
Transennella Dall, 1883
Venerupis Lamarck, 1818
Ventricolaria Keen, 1954
Venus Linnaeus, 1758

Translation

The word "Veneridae" occurs as such in the following languages: English, French, Italian, Portuguese.

Translation(s) in other languages: German: Venusmuscheln, Korean: 백합과 (동물).