''Solecurtus strigilatus'', also known as the rosy razor clam, is a species of saltwater

clam Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve molluscs. The word is often applied only to those that are edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the seafloor or riverbeds. Clams have two she ...

, 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

Solecurtidae The Solecurtidae are a family of saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs in the order Cardiida. Genera Genera in the family Solenidae include: * '' Azorinus'' Récluz, 1869 * '' Clunaculum'' Dall, 1899 * ''Solecurtus'' Blainville, 1824 * ''Tage ...

. This mollusc is a

suspension feeder Filter feeders are a sub-group of suspension feeding animals that feed by straining suspended matter and food particles from water, typically by passing the water over a specialized filtering structure. Some animals that use this method of feedin ...

and can burrow with great rapidity to escape predators. It is an unusual bivalve in that its shell valves are too small to contain all the soft tissue, and the animal is unable to retreat into its shell.

Description

The valves of the rosy razor clam are relatively small, thin and finely sculptured. At the anterior end of the animal there is a strong, protruding foot. At the posterior end, is the large mantle sac containing the gills; when relaxed, it protrudes and is twice the length of the valves, but it can be contracted back between the valves. Posterior to this are the two robust, contractile siphons. The maximum length of the shell is .

Distribution

The rosy razor clam occurs in the Mediterranean Sea and the adjoining part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is present from the lower shore down to the shallow

sublittoral zone The neritic zone (or sublittoral zone) is the relatively shallow part of the ocean above the drop-off of the continental shelf, approximately in depth. From the point of view of marine biology it forms a relatively stable and well-illuminated ...

Behaviour and ecology

FMIB 48579 Solecurtus strigillatus L, Naples

The species lives immersed in soft sediment, usually medium-grade sand. The burrow is "J"-shaped and has a

mucus Mucus ( ) is a slippery aqueous secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes. It is typically produced from cells found in mucous glands, although it may also originate from mixed glands, which contain both serous and mucous cells. It is ...

lining. The clam has two siphons which it can extend to the surface in order to feed, but when not feeding it burrows further into the sediment, often living under the sand surface. Many clams are

detritivore Detritivores (also known as detrivores, detritophages, detritus feeders, or detritus eaters) are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus (decomposing plant and animal parts as well as feces). There are many kinds of invertebrates, ...

s, consuming decomposing organic matter they find in their environment, but this clam is a

filter feeder Filter feeders are a sub-group of suspension feeding animals that feed by straining suspended matter and food particles from water, typically by passing the water over a specialized filtering structure. Some animals that use this method of feedin ...

, drawing water in through one siphon, removing the edible particles and exhaling the water through the other siphon. It can dig through the sand with great rapidity, and any attempt by humans to dig it out results in it descending diagonally, even deeper into the sediment. In an apparent attempt to distract predators, the tips of the two siphons can be shed, and these pulsate as they drift in the water column. The ends of the siphons can be regenerated. The presence of this clam in the sediment is evidenced by two circular holes each wide and apart, through which the siphons can be projected. Digging is a five-phase process; the mantle sac and siphons fill with water and the foot remains contracted; the siphons close, forcing water into the mantle sac while the foot unfolds; the mantle sac contracts, directing a jet of water in front of the foot; the foot is pushed into the loosened sediment; the tip of the foot expands to provide an anchor and the body is drawn down, ready to start the next cycle.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q14363598 Solecurtidae Molluscs described in 1758 Molluscs of the Atlantic Ocean Molluscs of the Mediterranean Sea Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus