Summary ³

The Atlantic jackknife , Ensis directus, also known as the bamboo clam, American jackknife clam or razor clam (but note that "razor clam" sometimes refers to different species), is a large species of edible marine bivalve mollusc, found on the North American Atlantic coast, from Canada to South Carolina as well as in Europe.

Trophic strategy ⁴

Ensis directus is a filter feeder that filters water through its shell in order to obtain food. When feeding, E. directus stays very close to the surface and its siphons are sticking up through the surface. The water is drawn into the shell through the mantle cavity by cilia. These cilia cover the ctenidia, or gills, in the clam. It passes along the gills and combines with mucous. The food is now trapped and the cilia drive the food into the digestive tract.

(Jobin and Jobin 1997)

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/18024068@N00/2136830079
2. (c) Femorale, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.femorale.com/shellphotos/detail.asp?species=Ensis%20directus%20Conrad,%201843
3. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ensis_directus
4. (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31392783

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• SeaLifeBase
• World Register of Marine Species

Range Map

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