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Veneridae
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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.
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Encyclopedia
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.
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.
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 Morch, 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
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