''Arcinella arcinella'', or the Caribbean spiny jewel box clam, is a species of
bivalve
Bivalvia (), in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class of marine and freshwater molluscs that have laterally compressed bodies enclosed by a shell consisting of two hinged parts. As a group, bival ...
mollusc
Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Chamidae
Chamidae, common name the jewel boxes or jewel box clams, is a taxonomic family of saltwater clams, a group of marine bivalve mollusks in the order Venerida.Abbott, R.T. & Morris, P.A. ''A Field Guide to Shells: Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and the ...
.
[Abbott, R.T. & Morris, P.A. ''A Field Guide to Shells: Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and the West Indies.'' New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1995. 55.]
Description
''Arcinella arcinella'' has a shell reaching a size of about 55 mm. The shells of this common Caribbean species are pale brown to yellowish white in color with about 20 rows of spines. The interior is white. These molluscs are suspension filter feeders.
Right and left valve of the same specimen:
File:Arcinella arcinella 01.jpg, Right valve
File:Arcinella arcinella 02.jpg, Left valve
Distribution
This species can be found in Caribbean waters, ranging from the
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
to
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
. It is present at a depth from 2 to 73 m.
References
External links
WoRMSEncyclopedia of lifeMalacolog
Chamidae
Molluscs described in 1767
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
{{bivalve-stub