Bivalvia | 
Venerida | 
Veneridae
			
			
			
				Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range				
				
					Ecology				
				
			
			
				Benthic; brackish; depth range 0 - 1 m (Ref. 105875).  Tropical, preferred 15°C (Ref. 107945); 61°N -   13°N, 18°W -   36°E			
			
			
				
			
			
			
				Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean:  from Norway to United Kingdom, France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal, including  the Mediterranean, from Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Israel Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and Algeria. Introduced in Azores Islands. Temperate to tropical.
			
			
			
			
			
				Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
			
			
				Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm Max length : 8.0 cm SHL male/unsexed; (Ref. 109255); common length : 6.0 cm SHL male/unsexed; (Ref. 437)			
			
			
						
			
			
			
			
				
					Found in sheltered bays, estuaries and lagoons (Ref. 106936).  Tends to bury itself in sand, muddy gravel, clay (Ref. 78574) or silty mud (Ref. 107087) and is found on the lower shore and shallow sublittoral (Ref. 78574).  Feeds on phytoplankton and detritus (Ref. 107087).				
			
			
			
			
			
				Life cycle and mating behavior				
					Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae				
			
			
				
					Members of the class Bivalvia are mostly gonochoric, some are protandric hermaphrodites.  Life cycle:  Embryos develop into free-swimming trocophore larvae, succeeded by the bivalve veliger, resembling a miniature clam.				
			
			
			
			
			
				SAUP Database 2006 SAUP Database. www.seaaroundus.org. (Ref. 356)
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
					
						IUCN Red List Status    
						 (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
					
					
					
				
			
			
			
			
				CITES status   (Ref. 108899)
			
			
				
					Not Evaluated				
			
			
			
			
			
			
				
					Not Evaluated				
			
			
			
			
			
				Threat to humans  
			
			
				
									
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
				Human uses  
			
			
				Fisheries: commercial			
			
			
				FAO - Aquaculture: production, species profile; Fisheries: landings, species profile | FishSource | Sea Around Us			
			
			
			
			
			
Tools
			
			
			
			
				
					More information				
				
					 PhysiologyOxygen consumption
  Human RelatedStamps, coins, misc.
  
			 
			
			
			
				Internet sources
			
			
			
			
			
				Estimates based on models
			
			
			
									
						Preferred temperature  					
				 (Ref. 
115969): 9.4 - 21.1, mean 18.1 (based on 876 cells).			
 
			
			
			
							
					Resilience  				
				
				
					High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=0.44-0.52).				
			
			
						
							
				
					
						Fishing Vulnerability  					
					
					
						Low vulnerability (21 of 100).					
				
						
							
					
						Climate Vulnerability  					
					
					High vulnerability (63 of 100).				
						
			
			
			
				Nutrients  :  Calcium = 149 [71, 228]  mg/100g; Iron = 8.53 [1.95, 15.11]  mg/100g; Protein = 9.88 [8.64, 11.12] %; Omega3 = 0.313 [0.202, 0.423]  g/100g; Selenium = 61 [50, 72]  μg/100g; VitaminA = 0 μg/100g; Zinc = 2.04 [0.56, 3.51]  mg/100g (wet weight); based on 
nutrient studies.