Eared Ark (Anadara notabilis): Case of the Disappearing Ear

The young Eared Ark has a little “ear,” or wing, projecting from the edge of the squarish posterior area of the shell. As the shell grows to its maximum length of 3½ inches by adding more layers of itself-producing lime (calcium carbonate), the ear is no longer evident. The shell surface is strongly ribbed, the numerous hinge teeth small. The white exterior may be covered with a brown periostracum.

Found from Florida to Brazil, in Bermuda and occasionally on Carolina beaches, a young Eared Ark is an especially charming addition to a shell collection.

Notes

The shells pictured here were found at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
For more information on the Eared Ark, see:
- R. Tucker Abbott and Percy A. Morris, Peterson Field Guides: Shells of the Atlantic & Gulf Coasts & the West Indies.
- Carol M. Williams, Beach Bountiful: Southeast.
Classification: Family Arcidae; Superfamily Arcoidea; Order Arcoida; Superorder Prionodonta; Subclass Pteriomorphia.
Scientific nomenclature is subject to change, due to ongoing research. The above classification coincides with that published by the Conchologists of America, Inc.
Digital formatting is by Jonathan Mitchell.

Eared Ark:Rare in the Carolinas

Notes

Eared Ark:
Rare in the Carolinas