''Solemya'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of saltwater clams,
marine bivalve mollusk
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 e ...
s in the family
Solemyidae
Solemyidae is a family of saltwater clams, marine protobranch bivalve mollusks in the order Solemyida.
Biology
Solemyids are remarkable in that their digestive tract is either extremely small or non-existent, and their feeding appendages are too ...
, the awning clams. ''Solemya'' is the
type genus
In biological taxonomy, the type genus is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name.
Zoological nomenclature
According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearing type of a nominal ...
of the family Solemyidae.
Description
The shell
valves
A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fitting ...
of species in this genus are fragile and subcylindrical in shape; there are no
hinge teeth
Hinge teeth are part of the anatomical structure of the inner surface of a bivalve shell, i.e. the shell of a bivalve mollusk. Bivalves by definition have two valves, which are joined together by a strong and flexible ligament situated on the hing ...
. The shell has a persistent thin
periostracum which extends beyond the valve margins, hence the common name "awning clams".
These clams have
chemosynthetic bacterial
symbionts that produce their food. The bacteria live within their gill cells, and produce energy by oxidizing
hydrogen sulfide, which they then use to fix carbon dioxide via the
Calvin cycle. This symbiosis has been best-studied in the Atlantic species ''
S. velum'' and the Pacific species ''
S. reidi''.
Species
Species within the genus ''Solemya'' include:
* ''
Solemya africana
''Solemya'' is a genus of saltwater clams, marine bivalve mollusks in the family Solemyidae, the awning clams. ''Solemya'' is the type genus of the family Solemyidae.
Description
The shell valves of species in this genus are fragile and subcyl ...
''
* ''
Solemya atacama
''Solemya'' is a genus of saltwater clams, marine bivalve mollusks in the family Solemyidae, the awning clams. ''Solemya'' is the type genus of the family Solemyidae.
Description
The shell valves of species in this genus are fragile and subcyl ...
''
* ''
Solemya australis
''Solemya'' is a genus of saltwater clams, marine bivalve mollusks in the family Solemyidae, the awning clams. ''Solemya'' is the type genus of the family Solemyidae.
Description
The shell valves of species in this genus are fragile and subcyl ...
''
* ''
Solemya borealis
''Solemya borealis'' , the boreal awning clam, is a species of saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Solemyidae the awning clams. This species is found along the northeastern coast of North America, from Nova Scotia to Connect ...
''
* ''
Solemya elarraichensis''
* ''
Solemya flava''
* ''
Solemya moretonensis''
* ''
Solemya notialis''
* ''
Solemya occidentalis''
* ''
Solemya panamensis''
* ''
Solemya parkinsonii''
* ''
Solemya pervernicosa''
* ''
Solemya pusilla''
* ''
Solemya reidi''
* ''
Solemya tagiri''
* ''
Solemya terraereginae''
* ''
Solemya velesiana''
* ''
Solemya velum
''Solemya velum'', the Atlantic awning clam, is a species of marine bivalve mollusc in the family Solemyidae, the awning clams. This species is found along the eastern coast of North America, from Nova Scotia to Florida
Florida is a stat ...
''
* ''
Solemya winkworthi''
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3797860
Solemyidae
Bivalve genera
Taxa named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
Chemosynthetic symbiosis