Saxidomus
Saxidomus | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Bivalvia |
Order: | Venerida |
Family: | Veneridae |
Genus: | Saxidomus Conrad, 1837 |
Species | |
See text. |
Saxidomus, common name the "Washington clams", is a genus of large edible saltwater clams, marine bivalve mollusks in the family Veneridae, the Venus clams.
The species Saxidomus gigantea is known as the "butter clam".[1]
The term for saxitoxin (the neurotoxin found in paralytic shellfish poisoning) is derived from the genus name Saxidomus.
Species
[edit]Species within the genus Saxidomus include:
Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | Saxidomus gigantea | Butter clam | Western coast of North America, ranging from the Aleutian Islands to San Francisco Bay |
Saxidomus nuttalli | California butterclam and Washington clam | Northern California to Baja California | |
![]() | Saxidomus purpurata | Purple butter clam | Western Pacific China and Japan |
References
[edit]- ^ "Saxidomus giganteus The Butter Clam". Archived from the original on February 16, 2012.