The truncate donax,, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian, USA. onsulted 27-09-2021 abrupt wedge shell, wedge clam or coquina clam''"Donax trunculus"''
TermCat. onsulted 27-09-2021 (''Donax trunculus''), is a

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 ...

species in the family

Donacidae The Donacidae, the "bean clams" or "wedge shells", are a family of bivalve molluscs of the superfamily Tellinoidea. The family is related to the ''Tellina''. The Donacidae are prolific filter feeders and are an important part of coastal food ...

. It is native to the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of western Europe, as well as the

Red sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...

, where it is consumed as a food. The wedge clam prefers to live at depths of 0-2m and in clean, fine, and well sorted sand. These clams are efficient and rapid burrowers, and their survival relies heavily on the composition of the sand they burrow in. Their burrowing times vary based on the coarseness of the sand, which reflects their prevalence in these fine-sanded environments. The wedge clam is a popular food item for human consumption, but can carry heavy metals and

hydrocarbon In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and hydrophobic, and their odors are usually weak or ex ...

contaminations. As they are commonly consumed raw or lightly cooked, these contaminants are commonly present at the time of consumption. Despite this, the wedge clam is an efficient

bioindicator A bioindicator is any species (an indicator species) or group of species whose function, population, or status can reveal the qualitative status of the environment. The most common indicator species are animals. For example, copepods and other sma ...

of heavy metals and hydrocarbon contaminants in their environment.

Names in other languages

It is locally known as ''flion'', ''flion tronqué'', ''olive de mer'', ''haricot de mer'' or ''telline'' (among other names) in French,''"Donax trunculus"''
SeaLifeBase. onsulted 27-09-2021"''Donax trunculus'' - Flion tronqué"
(in French), ''DORIS'' (''Données d'Observations pour la Reconnaissance et l'Identification de la faune et la flore Subaquatiques''). onsulted 27-09-2021 ''lagagnon'' in the area of Arcaishon and

Les Landes Les Landes is an area of coastal heathland in the north-west of Jersey. It has been designated as a ''Site of Special Interest'' (SSI) since 1996. The site is the largest of its kind in Jersey at 160 ha. Site of Special Interest Les Landes ...

, ''cadelucha'' in the

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine re ...

region,"Animals sedentaris, noms viatgers"
''Llengua ligur i altres llengües del nord d'Itàlia'', 13 June 2012, with an excerpt from ''Trésor de la Langue Française'', which in turn cites ''Les algues et invertébrés marins despêches françaises'' (1992). which coincides with the Basque name of ''kadeluxa''; ''tellin'', ''

tellina ''Tellina'' is a widely distributed genus of marine bivalve molluscs, in the family Tellinidae.Gofas, S. (2011). Tellina Linnaeus, 1758. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id ...

'', ''telline'', ''tenille'' or ''truille'' in the

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language Occitan (; o ...

-speaking area of the Mediterranean, ''tellina'' or ''arsella'' in

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

, ''tellerina'', ''tellina'' or ''escopinya francesa'' in

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

(the latter variant used on Menorca),"Els noms dels peixos i mariscs"
(in Catalan), Universitat de les Illes Balears. onsulted 27-09-2021 ''jòcula cautxa'' in Catalan of the Alguerès variant, ''coquina truncada'' or ''coquina'' in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

,''"Donax trunculus"''
(in Spanish), Asturnatura. onsulted 27-09-2021''cadelucha'', ''coquina'' or ''navalliña'' in Galician, ''conquilha'' or ''cadelinha'' in

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

and ''Um El-Kholol'' in Egyptian

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

, etc. In Australia, a very similar shellfish is locally known as "Pippies".

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3036241 Donacidae Molluscs described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus