The striped venus clam can be found all around the British Isles except for southeast England, buried in the sediment on the lower shore to depths of about 5cm. It has a cream-coloured shell with concentric ridges and radiating red-brown stripes running from the hinge to outer edge. These clams use their siphons to filter plankton from the water. The striped venus clam has separate sexes and releases gametes into the water, which develop into the veliger larvae. These go through a planktonic phase before taking on the adult form. |
