Description

The family Cardiidae is one of the largest and best-known of bivalves. There are over 200 living cockle species and many more fossil forms.

 

Strong, compact, and heart-shaped, the cockle shell can be rolled over the sands and banged about without any damage to the live mollusc. Its siphons are short, and the foot is also well developed --indeed capable of moving the animal about in short leaps at the surface, where it normally lives. In many cockles, the siphons also bear light receptors.

 

Shell features are: completely symmetrical and equal sized valves; prominent umbones; strong radial ribs, which in some species carry spines; equal size muscle scars; no pallial sinus; and, two cardinal teeth in each valve. The internal margin of the lip may vary from lightly serrated to the definitely crenulated edge view, shown in the two species at right.

Classification

Class: Bivalvia

Subclass: Pteriomorphia

Order: Veneroida

Superfamily: Cardiacea

Family: Cardiidae

 

Major Genera

• Genus: Acanthocardia
• Genus: Americardia
• Genus: Cardium
• Genus: Cerastoderma
• Genus: Clinocardium
• Genus: Corculum
• Genus: Ctenocardia
• Genus: Dinocardium
• Genus: Discors
• Genus: Fragum
• Genus: Fulvia
• Genus: Laevicardium
• Genus: Lophocardiium
• Genus: Lyrocardium
• Genus: Lunulicardia
• Genus: Microcardium
• Genus: Nemocardium
• Genus: Papyridea
• Genus: Parvicardium
• Genus: Plagiocardium
• Genus: Ringicardium
• Genus: Trachycardium
• Genus: Trigoniocardia
• Genus: Serripes

Dinocardium robustum
subspecies vanhyningi (Clench & Smith, 1944)
Vanhyning's Cockle

Corculum cardissa (Linnaeus, 1758)
form monstrossa
True Heart Cockle

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