''Venus verrucosa'', the warty venus, 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. It is a species of

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 Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

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 ...

, sometimes collectively known as the venus clams.

Distribution

This species is found around the European coast and also the

southern African Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number of ...

coast, from the Namibian coast to

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

, subtidally to 155 m.Branch, G. M., Branch, M. L., Griffiths, C. L. and Beckley, L. E. (2005): ''Two Oceans: a guide to the marine life of southern Africa''

Description

This animal grows up to 60 mm in diameter. It has a bulky, oval shell with well-defined concentric ridges. The shell edges are knobbly and crossed.

Economic import and gastronomy

Known as ''praire'' in France, it is an expensive delicacy there, and harvesting periods and size of catch (both minimum shell size and numbers taken) have had to be strictly regulated for its conservation. It is eaten either raw or baked in the oven with

garlic butter Garlic butter, also known as ''beurre à la bourguignonne'', is a compound butter used as a flavoring for many dishes or as a condiment.''Larousse Gastronomique'' (1961), Crown Publishers(''Translated from the French, Librairie Larousse, Paris ( ...

Ecology

The warty venus burrows in mud and sand.

References

External links

* http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=141936 {{Taxonbar, from=Q376050 Veneridae Molluscs described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus French cuisine