''Rocellaria stimpsonii'',
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 ...
the Stimpson chimney clam, 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 ...
of saltwater clam, a
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
* ...
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
Gastrochaenidae
Gastrochaenidae is a taxonomic family of saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs
Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,0 ...
. This species is known to occur in the
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...
.
This small species bores into calcareous surfaces, including the shells of other bivalves. The clam forms a living space which is lined with calcium carbonate and is shaped like a bottle,
[The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum website, shells, Family Gastrochaenidae, Rocellaria stimpsonii (Tryon, 1861)]
accessed 2014-5-16 hence the common name "chimney clam".
Description
The shell of this bivalve grows to a size of . The valves are white and translucent; they are also thin and delicate with a large gape at the front end, towards the dorsal surface of the animal.
References
Gastrochaenidae
Bivalves described in 1861
{{Bivalve-stub