The dog cockle or European bittersweet (''Glycymeris glycymeris'') is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

clam, a

coast The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...

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 ...

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an waters. Despite its

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

, it is not closely related to the

common cockle The common cockle (''Cerastoderma edule'') is a species of edible saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Cardiidae, the cockles. It is found in waters off Europe, from Iceland in the north, south into waters off western Africa as ...

. While the English

"dog cockle" implies an inferior food that might only be suitable for animals, this shellfish is edible and enjoyed in many European countries, although the flesh has a reputation for becoming tough if overcooked. Its name in French (''amande de mer'') and Spanish (''almendra de mar'') means "sea almond", due to its apparently sweet and almond-like flavour."Amande de mer: smooth-shelled shellfish, like a small clam, with a sweet, almost almond flavor.
Patricia Wells' French/English Food Glossary

Habitat

The dog cockle is a

burrow An Eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to construct a space suitable for habitation or temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of sh ...

ing animal, living in shelly

gravel Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gravel is classifi ...

on the ocean floor at depths up to 100 m (330 ft).

Shell description

The shell, which reaches 6.5 cm in length, is thick, and almost circular in outline. The anterior hinge line curves more steeply downwards than the posterior. The shell varies in colour, being brown, yellow or a light purplish-red in colour. It can be uniformly coloured, or it can show irregular, concentric zigzags on a cream background. The

periostracum The periostracum ( ) is a thin, organic coating (or "skin") that is the outermost layer of the shell of many shelled animals, including molluscs and brachiopods. Among molluscs, it is primarily seen in snails and clams, i.e. in gastropods and ...

is dark brown and forms a broad band around the shell margin; it is

velvet Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short pile, giving it a distinctive soft feel. By extension, the word ''velvety'' means ...

y in texture. The inside of the shell is normally brown within the

pallial line The pallial line is a mark (a line) on the interior of each valve of the shell of a bivalve mollusk. This line shows where all of the mantle A mantle is a piece of clothing, a type of cloak. Several other meanings are derived from that. Mantle m ...

. The inner surface of the shell has six to 12 teeth on either side of the beak.

Right and left valve of the same specimen: File:Glycymeris glycymeris 01.jpg, Right valve File:Glycymeris glycymeris 02.jpg, Left valve

References

External links

Improving the edibility of the Dog cockle
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1916880 Glycymeris Molluscs described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus