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Mercenaria - Species in
Veneridae - - Classification -
- Veneridae
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- Bivalvia
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Mercenaria campechiensis (Dall, 1902)
Southern hardshell clam| Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050 |
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| This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed. |
| Mercenaria campechiensis AquaMaps Data sources: GBIF OBIS |
Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | CoL | ITIS | WoRMS
Bivalvia | Venerida | Veneridae
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology
Benthic; depth range 0 - 20 m. Tropical; 40°N - 15°N, 99°W - 65°W
Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions
Western Central Atlantic.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cmCommon length : 15.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 344)
Short description Morphology
Shell thick, more inflated than in Mercenaria mercenaria, ovate-trigonal. Sculpture of irregular lines, more separated than in M. mercenaria. Lines never absent in middle of valve. Lunule as long as wide. Colour: dull white to grey, internally sometimes stained with purple.
One of the most commercially exploited species in the area. Species is harvested by digging in shallow water. Also collected by recreational fishermen by "treading" (probing with bare feet), and in deeper water by bull rakes and clam tongs. Mechanical harvesting not permitted in Florida. Species is high in protein and virtually fat-free. This species may form hybrids with individuals of M. mercenaria in the southeastern USA (Ref. 344). Combination depth range: min from literature, max from estimate. Lives from the intertidal to the shallow subtidal, in moderately hard sandy bottoms or in sandy mud. Sometimes in close associations with seagrass beds and algae. Rarely found in the surf zone (Ref. 344).
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.
Main reference
References | Coordinator | Collaborators
Leal, J.H. 2003. (Ref. 344)
IUCN Red List Status
(Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
CITES status (Ref. 108899)
Not Evaluated
CMS (Ref. 116361)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: highly commercial
| FishSource |
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More information
Trophic Ecology
Food items
Diet composition
Food consumption
Food rations
Predators
Diet composition
Food consumption
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Population dynamics
Growth
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Life cycle
Distribution
Human Related
Aquaculture profiles
Stamps, coins, misc.
Stamps, coins, misc.
Outreach
References
Internet sources
BHL | BOLD Systems | CISTI | DiscoverLife | FAO(Publication : search) | Fishipedia | GenBank (genome, nucleotide) | GloBI | Gomexsi | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | PubMed | Tree of Life | Wikipedia (Go, Search) | Zoological Record
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature
(Ref. 115969): 23.5 - 28.1, mean 27.2 (based on 655 cells).
Resilience
(Ref. 69278):
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=0.64).