Atlantic jackknife clam
Atlantic jackknife clam | |
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Empty shell of Ensis leei | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Bivalvia |
Order: | Adapedonta |
Family: | Pharidae |
Genus: | Ensis |
Species: | E. leei
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Binomial name | |
Ensis leei M. Huber, 1843
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Synonyms | |
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The Atlantic jackknife clam, Ensis leei,
Jackknife clams live in sand and mud and are found in
At low tide the position of the Atlantic jackknife clam is revealed by a keyhole-shaped opening in the sand; when the clam is disturbed, a small jet of water squirts from this opening as the clam starts to dig. This species' remarkable speed in digging can easily outstrip a human digger, making the clam difficult to catch. Amos Winter of MIT has studied razor clams and how they bury themselves, in part by using a repurposed ant farm and glass beads. [1]
Thus the species is not often commercially fished, even though it is widely regarded as a delicacy: in coastal Massachusetts, they are sought after in the summer by locals to make home cooked clam strips and most towns have ordinances regulating how many can be taken at a time.[3] The easiest way to catch jackknives is to pour salt on the characteristic breathing holes. The clam will try to escape the salt by coming up out of its hole, at which point you can gently grab the shell and pull it out of the ground.
Predators of Ensis directus other than humans include birds, such as the
The Atlantic jackknife clam is now also found in northwestern Europe, where it is regarded as a harmful
The Atlantic jackknife clam has inspired a kind of
See also
- Jackknife clam which is also found in the Pacific Ocean.
- Solen strictusGould's razor shell found mostly in Japan.
- Ensis Atlantic razor-shell crustaceans also known by similar names in Western Europe such as couteaux de mer (in France) and navajas (in Spain)
References
- ^ MolluscaBase (2018). "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Ensis leei M. Huber, 2015". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Solenidae & Cultellidae (Razor & Jackknife Clams)". shells.tricity.wsu.edu. Archived from the original on 2017-07-16. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
- ^ "Town of Ipswich Massachusetts : Shellfish Rules & Regulations". Town.ipswich.ma.us. Archived from the original on 2013-06-09. Retrieved 2014-02-24.
- JSTOR 1350520.
- ^ Morgan, James. "'RoboClam' could anchor submarines". BBC News. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
- The Long Island Shell Club, 1988. The Seashells of Long Island, the Long Island Shell Club Inc, New York State
External links
- Animal Diversity Web: "Ensis directus" — Camponelli, K. 2001 . accessed August 27, 2006
- Early life history characteristics of the razor clam (Ensis directus) and the moonsnails (Euspira spp.) with applications to fisheries and aquaculture — Kenchington, E., R. Duggan and T. Riddell. 1998. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2223: vii + 32 pgs.
- Gollasch Consulting. Exotics Across the Ocean - EU Concerted Action. Ensis directus Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine