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Tridacna  |
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Family: Cardiidae  |
SummaryTridacna is a genus of large saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs in the subfamily Tridacninae, the giant clams. Many Tridacna species are threatened. They have heavy shells, fluted with 4 to 6 folds. The mantle is often brightly coloured. They inhabit shallow waters of coral reefs in warm seas of the Indo-Pacific region. These clams are popular in marine aquaria, and in some areas, such as the Philippines, members of the genus are farmed for the marine aquarium trade. They live in symbiosis with photosynthetic algae (zooxanthellae). Some species are eaten by humans. EtymologyThe name Tridacna arises from Greek words tri, meaning three, and dacno, meaning bite. In the Ancient Roman text Natural History, Pliny the Elder explained the nomenclature comes from the fact that "they are so large as to require three bites in eating them.” List of Species, Systematics, and PhylogenyThe genus contains the following species: Tridacna crocea Lamarck, 1819 -- Western Pacific Tridacna derasa (Röding, 1798) -- Western Pacific Tridacna elongatissima Bianconi, 1856 Tridacna gigas (Linnaeus, 1758) -- Tropical Indo-Pacific Tridacna maxima Röding, 1798 ( =Tridacna elongata) -- Tropical Indo-Pacific Tridacna mbalavuana Ladd, 1934 -- Fiji, Tonga Tridacna noae (Röding, 1798) -- China sea Tridacna rosewateri Sirenho & Scarlato, 1991 -- Mauritius Tridacna squamosa Lamarck, 1819 -- Tropical Indo-Pacific Tridacna squamosina Sturany, 1899 (= Tridacna costata Roa-Quiaoit, Kochzius, Jantzen, Al-Zibdah & Richter 2008) -- Indo-Pacific Synonyms Tridacna acuticostata G. B. Sowerby III, 1912: synonym of Tridacna maxima (Röding, 1798) Tridacna compressa Reeve, 1862: synonym of Tridacna (Chametrachea) maxima (Röding, 1798) represented as Tridacna maxima (Röding, 1798) (junior subjective synonym) Tridacna costata Roa-Quiaoit, Kochzius, Jantzen, Zibdah & Richter, 2008: synonym of Tridacna squamosina Sturany, 1899 Tridacna cumingii Reeve,... |
