Overview
The Veneridae or venerids, also known as venus clams, are a very large family of minute to large, saltwater , marine bivalve molluscs. There are over 500 living species of venerid, most of which are edible, and many of which are exploited as a food source.
Many of the most important edible species are commonly known (in the USA) simply as "clams". Venerids make up a significant proportion of the world fishery of edible bivalves. The family includes some species that are important commercially, such as (in the USA) the hard clam or quahog, Mercenaria mercenaria.
The classification within the family Veneridae has been controversial at least since the 1930s. The most used classification is that of Keen (1969) which recognises 12 subfamilies, listed below. Some common species have been moved between genera (including genera in different subfamilies) because of repeated attempts to bring a more valid organization to the classification or taxonomy of the family, therefore changes in the generic name of species are frequently encountered.
The characters used for classifying this group still tend to be superficial, focusing on external features, especially those of the shell. Further reclassification is to be expected as the results of current research in molecular systematics on the group appear in the literature.
Subfamilies According To Keen (1969)
- Chioninae
- Circinae
- Clementinae
- Cyclinae
- Dosiniinae
- Gemminae
- Meretricinae
- Pitarinae
- Samaranginae
- Sunettinae
- Vapetinae
- Venerinae
List of Genera in the Family Veneridae
(may be incomplete)
- Agriopoma Dall, 1902
- Amiantis Carpenter, 1884
- Anomalocardia Schumacher, 1817
- Austrovenus Finlay,1927
- Bassina Jukes-Browne, 1914
- Callista Poli, 1791
- Chamelea Morch, 1853
- Chione Megerle von Mühlfeld, 1811
- Chionopsis Olsson, 1932
- Chionista Keen, 1958
- Circomphalus Klein, 1853
- Clausinella J. E. Gray, 1851
- Compsomyax Stewart, 1930
- Cyclinella Dall, 1902
- Dosina Gray,1835
- Dosinia Scopoli, 1777
- Gafrarium Roding, 1798
- Gemma Deshayes, 1853
- Globivenus Coen, 1934
- Gouldia C. B. Adams, 1847
- Humilaria Grant and Gale, 1931
- Irus Schmidt, 1818
- Irusella Hertlein and Grant, 1972
- Lioconcha
- Liocyma Dall, 1870
- Lirophora Conrad, 1883
- Macrocallista Meek, 1876
- Mercenaria Schumacher, 1817
- Meretrix Linnaeus, 1758
- Notirus Finlay, 1928
- Notocallista Iredale, 1924
- Nutricola Bernard, 1982
- Parastarte Conrad, 1862
- Periglypta Jukes-Browne, 1914
- Pitar Römer, 1857
- Protothaca Dall, 1902
- Psephidia Dall, 1902
- Saxidomus Conrad, 1837
- Tapes Muhlfeld, 1811
- Tawera Marwick, 1927
- Timoclea Brown, 1827
- Tivela Link, 1807
- Transennella Dall, 1883
- Venerupis Lamarck, 1818
- Ventricolaria Keen, 1954
- Venus Linnaeus, 1758
Photos
Taxonomy
The Family Veneridae is a member of the Superfamily Veneroidea. Here is the complete "parentage" of Veneridae:
- Domain: Eukaryota
Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Animalia
Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Branch: Protostomia
Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
- Infrakingdom: Lophotrochozoa
- Lophotrochozoans
- Superphylum: Eutrochozoa
- Phylum: Mollusca
(Linnaeus, 1758) Cuvier, 1795 - Molluscs
- Class: Bivalvia
Linnaeus, 1758 - Bivalves
- Subclass: Metabranchia
- Superorder: Eulamellibranchia
- Order: Veneroida
H. & A. Adams, 1856
- Superfamily: Veneroidea
- Family: Veneridae Rafinesque, 1815 - Venus Clams
- Superfamily: Veneroidea
- Order: Veneroida
H. & A. Adams, 1856
- Superorder: Eulamellibranchia
- Subclass: Metabranchia
- Class: Bivalvia
Linnaeus, 1758 - Bivalves
- Phylum: Mollusca
(Linnaeus, 1758) Cuvier, 1795 - Molluscs
- Superphylum: Eutrochozoa
- Infrakingdom: Lophotrochozoa
- Lophotrochozoans
- Branch: Protostomia
Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Kingdom: Animalia
Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
The Family Veneridae is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Subfamily (9): Chioninae · Circinae · Cyclininae · Dosiniinae · Meretricinae · Pitarinae · Tapetinae · Thecaliinae · Venerinae
- Genus (131): Agriopoma · Ameghinomya · Amiantis · Anamolocardia · Anomalocardia · Antigona · Aphrodina · Artemis · Austrovenus · Bassina · Callanaitis · Callista · Callistalox · Callistina · Callithaca · Callocardia · Calpitaria · Calva · Catelysia · Chamelea · Chione · Chioneryx · Chionista · Chionopsis · Circe · Circenita · Circomphalus · Clausinella · Clementia · Compsomyax · Costacallista · Crista · Cyclina · Cyclinella · Cyclorisma · Cyclosunetta · Cyprimeria · Cytherea · Cytheria · Dorisca · Dosina · Dosinella · Dosinia · Dosiniella · Dosiniopsis · Dosinorbis · Eumarcia · Eurhomalea · Flaventia · Gafarium · Gafraium · Gafrarium · Gemma · Globivenus · Glycydonta · Gomphina · Goshoraia · Gouldiopa · Granicorium · Granicorum · Humilaria · Hybrid · Hysteroconcha · Irus · Katalysia · Katelysia · Katherinella · Kuia · Legumen · Lioconcha · Liocyma · Lirophora · Loxo · Macrocallista · Marama · Marcia · Marwickia · Megapitaria · Mercenaria · Mercimonia · Meretrix · Meritrix · Mesocallista · Microcallista · Nioche · Nitidavenus · Notirus · Notocallista · Notopaphia · Nutricola · Pachydesma · Paphia · Paphirus · Paraesa · Parastarte · Pardosinia · Pectunculus · Pelecyora · Periglypta · Pitar · Pitaria · Placamen · Plebidonax · Protothaca · Proxichione · Psephidia · Puberella · Resatrix · Rhabdopitaria · Ruditapes · Ruidtapes · Samarangia · Saxidomus · Securella · Sinonia · Sunetta · Sunnetta · Tapes · Tawera · Thecalia · Timoclea · Tivela · Tivelina · Transenella · Transennella · Transenpitar · Trigonocallista · Venerupis · Ventricolaria · Venus · Veremolpa
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 1,400 species and subspecies in the Family Veneridae.
Genera
Agriopoma
Ameghinomya
Amiantis
Anamolocardia
Anomalocardia
Antigona
Antigona (Antigone) is an in three acts in Italian by the composer Tommaso Traetta. The libretto, by Marco Coltellini, is based on the tragedy Antigone by Sophocles. [more]
Aphrodina
Artemis
In , Artemis [(Greek: (nominative) , (genitive) ??t?µ?d??)] was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo. She was the Hellenic goddess of forests, hills, virginity/fertility, and the hunt and was often depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrows. The deer and the cypress were sacred to her. In later Hellenistic times she even assumed the ancient role of Eileithyia in aiding childbirth. [more]
Austrovenus
Bassina
Bassina is a of bivalve molluscs in the family Veneridae. Shells are rather large, ovate, of only moderate convexity, sculptured with concentric lamellae, which vary from simple and low, to long and frilled. A feature of the hinge is the unequally divided left median cardinal. [more]
Callanaitis
Callista
Callista comes from the for "Most Beautiful" (kallistos). It is an uncommon name for girls. [more]
Callistalox
Callistina
Callithaca
Callocardia
Calpitaria
Calva
Catelysia
Chamelea
Chione
A Genus in the Kingdom Plantae. [more]
Chioneryx
Chionista
Chionopsis
Circe
A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia. [more]
Circenita
Circomphalus
Clausinella
Clementia
In , Clementia was the goddess of forgiveness and mercy. She was deified as a celebrated virtue of Julius Caesar, who was famed for his forbearance. In 44 BC, a temple was consecrated to her by the Roman Senate. Within this temple stood a cult statute of Caesar and Clementia clasping hands. There was head wear to express Clementia, a crown made of oak leaves, which Caesar is frequently imaged as wearing. Caesar was considered to have this virtue. In a letter to his friend Atticus, Cicero is discussing Caesar's Clementia: "You will say they are frightened. I dare say they are, but Ill be bound they're more frightened of Pompey than of Caesar. They are delighted with his artful clemency and fear the other's wrath." Again in For Deistarus Cicero discusses Caesar's virtue of Clementia. "Yes, you, Gaius Caesar, are the only conqueror in 34 whose hour of triumph none save combatants have fallen. We, free men born in freedom's fairest clime, so far from finding you a tyrant, have seen in you a leader of unbounded mercy in the day of victory. There is not much information surrounding Clementia's cult; it would seem that she was merely an abstraction of a particular virtue, one that was revered in conjunction with revering Caesar and the Roman state. Clementia was seen as a good trait within a leader,it also the Latin word for "humanity or forbearance". This is opposed to Saevitia which was savagery and bloodshed. Yet, she was the Roman counterpart of Eleos the Greek goddess of mercy and forgiveness who had a shrine in Athens. In traditional imagery, she is depicted holding a branch and a scepter, and may be leaning on a column. [more]
Compsomyax
Costacallista
Crista
Cyclina
Cyclinella
Cyclorisma
Cyclosunetta
Cyprimeria
Cytherea
Cytherea can be: [more]
Cytheria
Dorisca
Dosina
Dosinella
Dosinia
Dosinia is a of marine bivalve molluscs, in the family Veneridae. [more]
Dosiniella
Dosiniopsis
Dosinorbis
Eumarcia
Eurhomalea
Flaventia
Gafarium
Gafraium
Gafrarium
Gemma
Gemma may refer to one of several things; [more]
Globivenus
Glycydonta
Gomphina
Goshoraia
Gouldiopa
Granicorium
Granicorum
Humilaria
Hybrid
Hysteroconcha
Irus
In , Irus was one of several figures: [more]
Katalysia
Katelysia
Katherinella
Kuia
Legumen
Lioconcha
Liocyma
Lirophora
Loxo
Macrocallista
Marama
Marcia
Marcia, meaning proud,war like and marshall can refer to: [more]
Marwickia
Megapitaria
Mercenaria
Mercimonia
Meretrix
In ancient Rome, registered prostitutes were called meretrices while the unregistered ones fell under the broad category prostibulae. [more]
Meritrix
Mesocallista
Microcallista
Nioche
Nitidavenus
Notirus
Notocallista
Notopaphia
Nutricola
Pachydesma
Paphia
Paphirus
Paraesa
Parastarte
Pardosinia
Pectunculus
Pelecyora
Periglypta
Pitar
Pitar is a fictional planet created by for his Humanx Commonwealth universe. This planet, like Midworld and Ulru-Ujurr, is under Church Edict preventing any Commonwealth citizen from setting foot on the planet. [more]
Pitaria
Placamen
Plebidonax
Protothaca
Proxichione
Psephidia
Puberella
Resatrix
Rhabdopitaria
Ruditapes
Ruidtapes
Samarangia
Saxidomus
Securella
Sinonia
Sunetta
Sunnetta
Tapes
For uses of the word 'tape', see the disambiguation page . [more]
Tawera
Thecalia
Timoclea
Tivela
Tivelina
Transenella
Transennella
Transenpitar
Trigonocallista
Venerupis
Ventricolaria
Venus
A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia. [more]
Veremolpa
At least 4 species and subspecies belong to the Genus Veremolpa.
More info about the Genus Veremolpa may be found here.
References
- Keen, A. M. (1969). Superfamily Veneracea. pp. 670-690, in: Leslie Reginald Cox et al., Part N [Bivalvia], Mollusca 6, vols. 1 and 2: xxxvii + 952 pp. Part of Raymond C. Moore, ed., Treatise on invertebrate paleontology. Lawrence, Kansas (Geological Society of America & University of Kansas).
- Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1
Sources
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