''Venus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of small to large 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 ...

s in the family

Veneridae The Veneridae or venerids, common name: Venus clams, are a very large family of minute to large, saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs. Over 500 living species of venerid bivalves are known, most of which are edible, and many of which are e ...

, which is sometimes known as the Venus clams and their relatives. These are marine

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 ...

Etymology

The genus ''Venus'' is named after

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...

, the Roman goddess of love and sexuality.

Taxonomy

However, some bivalves are still called Venus clams because they used to be in the genus ''Venus'', though they are now placed in other genera: these include the species within the genus ''

Mercenaria ''Mercenaria'' is a genus of edible saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs in the family Veneridae, the Venus clams. The genus ''Mercenaria'' includes the quahogs, consisting of ''Mercenaria mercenaria'', the northern quahog or hard clam, an ...

'', and '' Pitar dione'', the Venus shell described in sexual terms by Linnaeus.

Fossil records

The genus is known from the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of th ...

to the

recent The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene together ...

periods (age range: from 136.4 Mya to now). Fossils shells have been found all over the world. About 20 extinct species are known.

The family Veneridae

The family Veneridae contains over 400 known species, many of which are attractive and popular with shell-collectors. The shells of venerids vary in shape, and include shells that are circular, triangular, and rectangular. Characteristically, Venus clams possess a porcelain-like inner shell layer, a complex tooth structure in the hinge, well-developed escutcheon and lunule, and a well-developed pallial sinus. Veneridae colonize the sandy ocean bottom, and their populations are often dense and large. The

Veneroida Venerida (formerly Veneroida) is an order (biology), order of mostly saltwater but also some freshwater bivalve molluscs. This order includes many familiar groups such as many clams that are valued for food and a number of freshwater bivalves. S ...

order typically has a folded gill structure which is well developed for filtering out small food particles.

Common name

The

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 ...

s of clams in this genus often include the name Venus. A few species that still have "Venus" as part of their common name, but which are no longer in the genus ''Venus'' are: * Sunray Venus, ''

Macrocallista nimbosa ''Macrocallista nimbosa'', or the sunray venus clam, is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Veneridae. Description Adult size ranges from 65 mm. to 90 mm. Extant specimen File:Macrocallista nimbosa 03.jpg, Right valve File:M ...

'' (Lightfoot) * Cross-barred Venus, ''

Chione cancellata ''Chione cancellata'', is a species of medium-sized saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Veneridae, the venus clams. The species is now understood to be strictly Caribbean in distribution. The more northern species which resemb ...

'' (Linnaeus) * Lady-in-waiting Venus, '' Chione intapurpurea'' (Conrad) * Imperial Venus, '' Lirophora latilirata'' (Conrad) * Grey pygmy Venus, '' Chione grus'' (Holmes) * Striped Venus clam, ''

Chamelea gallina ''Chamelea gallina'' is a species of small saltwater clam, a marine bivalve in the family Veneridae, the venus clams. Taxonomy Carl Linnaeus originally described ''Venus gallina'' from the Mediterranean Sea in 1758. It was not clear whether d ...

'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the sta ...

) * Elegant Venus clam, '' Pitar dione'' (

)

Species

The genus ''Venus'' contains these extant species: *'' Venus albina'' G. B. Sowerby II, 1853 *'' Venus casina''

*'' Venus cassinaeformis'' (Yokoyama, 1926) *'' Venus chevreuxi'' Dautzenberg, 1891 *'' Venus crebrisulca'' Lamarck, 1818 *''

Venus declivis Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...

'' G. B. Sowerby II, 1853 *'' Venus lyra'' Hanley, 1845 *'' Venus nux'' Gmelin, 1791 *'' Venus rosalina'' Rang, 1802 *'' Venus subrosalina'' Tomlin, 1923 *'' Venus thomassini'' Fischer-Piette & Vukadinovic, 1977 *'' Venus verdensis'' Dautzenberg & H. Fischer, 1906 *''

Venus verrucosa ''Venus verrucosa'', the warty venus, is a species of saltwater clam. It is a species of marine bivalve mollusc in the family Veneridae, sometimes collectively known as the venus clams. Distribution This species is found around the European coas ...