Atlantic surf clam

This article is about a clam found in the Atlantic. For other species of surf clam, see Surf clam.

Atlantic surf clam
A 15 cm adult shell of Spisula solidissima from Long Beach, Long Island. Right valve at the top, left valve at the bottom.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Venerida
Superfamily: Mactroidea
Family: Mactridae
Genus: Spisula
Species:
S. solidissima
Binomial name
Spisula solidissima
(Dillwyn, 1817)

The Atlantic surf clam (Spisula solidissima), also called the bar clam, hen clam, skimmer or simply sea clam, is a very large, edible, saltwater clam or marine bivalve mollusk in the family Mactridae. It is one of the most commonly found species of bivalves in the western Atlantic Ocean.[1] Able to reach sizes between 7.9 and 8.9 inches (20 and 23 cm) in length, Atlantic surf clams are much larger than Spisula solida, which also resides in the eastern Atlantic coastal waters. Atlantic surf clams reproduce in late summer, when the water temperatures peak.

The shell of this species is a well-known object to beach-goers in the northeastern United States. People on the beach often pick up a large empty shell of this species, either to dig in the sand with, or take home to use as a decorative dish or ashtray.[2]

The species is exported commercially as a food item.

  1. ^ Jones, Douglas S. (1981). "REPRODUCTIVE CYCLES OF THE ATLANTIC SURF CLAM SPISULA SOLIDISSIMA, AND THE OCEAN QUAHOG ARCTICA ISLANDICA OFF NEW JERSEY". Journal of Shellfish Research. 1 (1): 23–32 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  2. ^ Taft, Dave (2017-07-13). "Atlantic Surf Clams: Edible, and Collectible". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-27.