Tivela stultorum

Tivela stultorum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Venerida
Superfamily: Veneroidea
Family: Veneridae
Genus: Tivela
Species:
T. stultorum
Binomial name
Tivela stultorum
(Mawe, 1823)

Tivela stultorum, also known as the Pismo clam, is a species of large, edible, saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Veneridae, the Venus clams. This species is native to the eastern Pacific Ocean. As the name implies, the Pismo clam lives in Pismo Beach, California. It has been found at least as far south as 300 miles (480 km) south of the US–Mexico border in Baja California on the Pacific Ocean side, where strong surf sometimes washes ashore live clams. The indigenous peoples of California used this species for food.[1]

They are mainly filter feeders, and can attach to rock substrates. They are able to swim but poorly. They are a brownish- tan color so they blend in with their environment, like sand and rocks.

References

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  1. ^ Heizer, R.F.; Elsasser, A.B. (1980). The Natural World of the California Indians. University of California Press. p. 91. ISBN 9780520038967. Retrieved 2015-01-31.
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