hard clam (GTM Research Reserve Mollusc Guide)

hard clam

Mercenaria mercenaria

Summary ²

The hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria), also known as a quahog (or quahaug), round clam, or hard-shell (or hard-shelled) clam, is an edible marine bivalve mollusk which is native to the eastern shores of North America, from Prince Edward Island to the Yucatán Peninsula. It is one of many unrelated edible bivalves which in the United States are frequently referred to simply as clams, as in the expression "clam digging". Older literature sources may use the systematic...

Description ³

Mercenaria mercenaria has a thick shell, roughly triangular in shape overall, light brown to grey in colour with a violet border and often with varying concentric bands on the shell . These concentric bands are conspicuous and are closely spaced around the margins but more widely spaced around the umbo. The inner shell surface is shiny with a purplish-blue tinge around the muscle scars. The sculpture of the shell consists of thin concentric ridges that are sharp and raised in early growth stages but worn away in older shells. It can grow up to 12 cm in length. The beak extends well beyond the the main shell. The pallial line is short and triangular with a finely rippled inner margin. Each valve has three conspicuous teeth. The internal anatomy is distinctive. The exhalent and inhalent siphons are joined with a fringe of tentacles around the inhalent siphon. The siphons are yellowish or brownish orange at the ends and often streaked with dark brown or opaque white. The foot is large and white in colour.Commonly known as the Quahog and used to make clam juice. This is a non-native species unsuccessfully introduced into British waters several times since the middle of the nineteenth century. The first live specimen was found in 1864 in the Humber. Merceneria mercenaria was successfully introduced from the USA into Southampton Water in 1925. Due to the colouration of the shell, the native American Indians utilised the shell as 'wampun' for use as currency, hence its scientific name.