Bivalvia |
Arcida |
Arcidae
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Benthic; depth range 0 - 68 m (Ref. 104365). Tropical, preferred 25°C (Ref. 107945); 43°N - 35°S, 98°W - 33°W (Ref. 3446)
Western Atlantic: from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to the West Indies and Brazil.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm Max length : 7.6 cm SHL male/unsexed; (Ref. 78146)
Equivalved, oval in shape. Size range: 2.8-7.6 cm shell length. Shell length to height ratio = 1.16 (Ref. 78148). Shell depth reaching 70% of height (Ref. 78152).
In the USA, this species remains a potential fishery resource. From the late 1990s to early 2000s, wild stocks of this species are the target of a small-scale fishery in North Carolina (Ref. 78154) and the eastern coast of Virginia with exports primarily as ethnic food to Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and Washington D.C. (Ref. 78152).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Sexes are separate with low incidence of hermaphrodism (2.17%). Males dominant (m/f=2.68). Peak in gonadal pattern in late spring to early summer (45% ripe in May) and a minor peak in winter (21% ripe in December). Dribble spawning likely strategy to extend spawning period and increase reproductive success.
Turgeon, D.D., J.F. Quinn Jr., A.E. Bogan, E.V. Coan, F.G. Hochberg, W.G. Lyons, P.M. Mikkelsen, R.J. Neves, C.F.E. Roper, G. Rosenberg, B. Roth, A. Scheltema, F.G. Thompson, M. Vecchione and J.D. Willams. 1998. (Ref. 1667)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
CITES status (Ref. 108899)
Not Evaluated
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquaculture: experimental
FAO - Fisheries: landings | FishSource | Sea Around Us
Tools
More information
Human RelatedAquaculture profile
Stamps, Coins Misc.
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature
(Ref.
115969): 14.5 - 28, mean 25.4 (based on 490 cells).
Resilience
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=0.45; tm=5).
Vulnerability
Moderate vulnerability (37 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.