Sunray Venus (Macrocallista nimbosa Lightfoot, 1786): A Burst of Chowder

The Sunray Venus clam lives close to shore, up to a depth of 25ft. Storms can wash in large numbers of this long-valved, compressed shell.

The lovely shell is fairly thick, smooth, and shiny, though there are very fine striations on the surface. The perioscracum is thin. The brown, pinkish-gray, golden-tan, or lavender exterior is beautified with bands of darker colors which radiate from the beak (umbo) to the margin (periphery). The shell fades quicky from sun exposure, but a fresh one is a glossy canvas depicting a dramatic sunburst. The interior of Macrocallista nimbosa is white (or salmon-colored when the specimen is fresh).

The shell may reach a length of 6 inches, and the clam inside can be used to create an excellent clam chowder.

The bivalve may be found on beaches from North Carolina, over to Texas, and down to Brazil.

Notes

The shells pictured here were found at Panama City, Florida.
For more information on the Sunray Venus see:
- R. Tucker Abbott and Percy A. Morris, Peterson Field Guides: Shells of the Atlantic & Gulf Coasts & the West Indies.
- Harold A. Rehder, National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Seashells.
- Nancy Rhyne, Carolina Seashells.
- Edward E. Ruppert and Richard S. Fox, Seashore Animals of the Southeast.
Classification: Family Veneridae; Superfamily Veneroidea; Order Veneroida; Subclass Heterodonta.
Scientific nomenclature is subject to change, due to ongoing research. The above classification corresponds to that published by the Conchologists of America, Inc.
Digital formatting is by Jonathan Mitchell.

Sunray Venus:The Non-Pastel Sunburst

Notes

Sunray Venus:
The Non-Pastel Sunburst