Jackknife clam is a

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 ...

which is used for several species in the genera ''

Ensis ''Ensis'' is a genus of medium-sized edible saltwater clams, littoral bivalve molluscs in the family Pharidae. ''Ensis'', or razor clams, are known in much of Scotland as spoots, for the spouts of water they eject while burrowing into the sand, ...

'' and '' Solen'' within the family

Solenidae Solenidae, commonly called "razor shells", is a family of marine bivalve molluscs in the unassigned Euheterodonta. Taxonomy Originally, razor shells were all classified as Solenidae. Then, the genera were grouped into two sub-families, the Cul ...

, species which are found on

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

and

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

beaches of temperate North America. Species in these families are also found elsewhere in the world, but in other English-speaking countries they usually have other common names. All the species in these genera have thin, highly elongate shells. Many of these bivalves are collected for

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is inge ...

. Species include: *'' Ensis leei'' *''

Ensis minor Ensis minor, or the jackknife clam, is a long, smooth-shelled, burrowing clam found in the Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's ...

'' *''

Ensis myrae ''Ensis'' is a genus of medium-sized edible saltwater clams, littoral bivalve molluscs in the family Pharidae. ''Ensis'', or razor clams, are known in much of Scotland as spoots, for the spouts of water they eject while burrowing into the sand ...

'' *''

Solen viridis Solen may refer to: * Solen, Ancient Greek name for the Thamirabarani River * Solen, North Dakota * ''Solen'' (bivalve), a genus of molluscs in family Solenidae * ''Solen'' (ship), a Swedish galleon * Solen Désert-Mariller Solen Désert-Marille ...

'' *''

Solen sicarius Solen may refer to: * Solen, Ancient Greek name for the Thamirabarani River * Solen, North Dakota * ''Solen'' (bivalve), a genus of molluscs in family Solenidae * ''Solen'' (ship), a Swedish galleon * Solen Désert-Mariller Solen Désert-Marille ...

See also