Leukoma Staminea Order: Imparidentia, Venerida Rock Cockle, Littleneck Clam, Hardshell Clam Or Pacific Littleneck Family: Veneroidea, Veneridae, Chioninae
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Phylum: Mollusca Class: Bivalvia, Heterodonta, Euheterodonta Leukoma staminea Order: Imparidentia, Venerida Rock cockle, littleneck clam, hardshell clam or Pacific littleneck Family: Veneroidea, Veneridae, Chioninae Taxonomy: Confusion surrounds the appro- are 22 local families, and members of the priate genus for this species. Many species Veneridae have three cardinal teeth on each were designated as Protothaca (or subspe- valve (see Plate 396H, Coan and Valentich- cies thereof, e.g., Protothaca (Protothaca) Scott 2007) (Fig. 2). staminea, Kabat and O’Foighil 1987; Lazo Body: (see Fig. 299, Kozloff 1993). 2004), based on shell sculpture, and are Color: likely the same species. Many researchers Interior: The ligament is external and have thus adopted the older designated seated on a nymph. The mantle edge is com- name, Leukoma (e.g., Groesbeck et al. posed of four tentacular folds, the fourth of 2014) for the species described below (see which is large, glandular and comprised of (Coan and Valentich-Scott 2007). However, mucocytes. There is also a large dorsal ridge, some local guides (e.g., Brink 2001) and which contains mucopolysaccharides and pro- several publications also use Protothaca tein-secreting cells (Hillman and Bennett staminea. Other synonyms include Vererup- 1979). sis staminea, Protothaca restoriationensis, Exterior: Paphia staminea and variations var. rude- Byssus: rata, var. orbella (Deshayes; Carpenter). Gills: Shell: The shell is very heavy, L. staminea is Description sometimes called the rock cockle because of Size: Individuals 2–75 mm in length; its strong radiating ridges (Ricketts and Calvin average length is 25–50 mm (Ricketts and 1952). Calvin 1952; Kozloff 1993). Maximum Interior: Shell interior is porcelaneous length of 30.70 mm was reported for and the ventral margin is with fine crenulate specimens collected in Prince William sculpture (Fig. 2). The muscle scars are al- Sound, Alaska (Nickerson 1977). most equal and the pallial line is broken by a Color: Overall color is variable. Young deep pallial sinus (Fig. 2). The file-like struc- specimens often with brown markings like a ture of the inside ventral margin is a distinct brown checkerboard pattern on their shell feature of this species (Kozloff 1993). (squares on each valve) (Kozloff 1993). Exterior: The shell shape is sub-oval Adults can be uniform brown, pinkish, or or- and heavy. There are numerous, fine, radiat- ange, with a white interior (Kozloff 1993) ing ribs as well as concentric ridges. The ra- General Morphology: Bivalve mollusks are dial ribs are more conspicuous for individuals bilaterally symmetrical with two lateral valves that nestle within rocks, i.e., those found in or shells that are hinged dorsally and sur- pholad borings (Coan and Carlton 1975). round a mantle, head, foot and viscera (see Specimens often have differing shell shapes Plate 393B, Coan and Valentich-Scott based on their different habitats (Fraser and 2007). The Veneroida is a large and diverse Smith 1928). bivalve heterodont order that is character- Hinge: There are three compressed ized by well developed hinge teeth. There A publication of the University of Oregon Libraries and the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology Individual species: https://oimb.uoregon.edu/oregon-estuarine-invertebrates and full 3rd edition: http://hdl.handle.net/1794/18839 Email corrections to: [email protected] Hiebert, T.C. 2015. Leukoma staminea. In: Oregon Estuarine Invertebrates: Rudys' Illustrated Guide to Common Species, 3rd ed. T.C. Hiebert, B.A. Butler and A.L. Shanks (eds.). University of Oregon Libraries and Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, Charleston, OR. cardinal teeth in the hinge area and no lat- periostracum. Nutricola tantilla has a shell eral teeth. The hinge plate is wide and set that is white in color and siphons that are at an angle (Fig. 2). fused (or nearly so) at the tips. Nutricola Eyes: confusa has a shell that is purple in color, Foot: siphons that bear a conspicuous cleft as well Siphons: The siphons are short and fused as conspicuous anterior lateral teeth, which (Kozloff 1993). are weak in N. tantilla. Burrow: Leukoma staminea is a poor dig- The remaining species have shells ger, and thus does not live in sediments that larger than 10 mm in length. Some species require frequent digging (e.g., those that have shell sculpturing that is dominated by shift) (Ricketts and Calvin 1952); prefers commarginal ribs with fine radial ridges and clay (Ricketts and Calvin 1952). Burrows others have shells that have radial ridges are less than 20 cm deep (Ricketts and Cal- with inconspicuous, or not predominating, vin 1952). Not always buried at all (Dunham commarginal ribs. Of those in the former cat- et al. 2006). Can move and reburrow using egory, I. lamellifera has widely spaced com- their foot (Shaw 1986). Semi-infaunal to 10 marginal lamellae and a shell that is short cm in coarse sediment; burrowing rate de- compared to M. mercenaria and C. tenerri- pends on the sediment size, with faster bur- ma. The two latter species have elongated rowing in finer sediment (Alexander et al. shells, no anterior lateral teeth and valves 1993). that do not gape. Saxidomus species also have an elongate shell, when compared to I. Possible Misidentifications lamellifera, but they possess anterior lateral Veneroida is a large bivalve order, teeth and valves that are separated by a nar- characterized by well-developed hinge row gape, posteriorly. Saxidomus nuttalli teeth, including most heterodonts. The and S. giganteus can be differentiated as the family Veneridae is characterized by a former species has a elongate and thinner hinge without lateral teeth, ligament that is shell as well as a narrow escutcheon (not entirely external, radial ribs on shell exteri- present in S. giganteus). The shell sculptur- or, and three cardinal teeth on each shell ing in S. giganteus also appears smooth as valve. There are 12–16 species reported the commarginal ribs are thin, low and tightly locally in this family within the genera Nutri- spaced, while the opposite is true for S. nut- cola, Saxidomus, and Leukoma, with two talli. species in each, and Gemma gemma), The venerid species without predomi- Irusella lamellifera), Tivela stultorum, Vene- nately commarginal ribs include Ruditapes rupis philippinarum, Mercenaria mercenar- philippinarum (Adams & Reeve, 1850) ia, Callithaca tenerrima, each with a single (called Venerupis philippinarum in the most species represented locally. recent Light and Smith manual) and mem- Nutricola species are small, with bers of the genus Leukoma. Leukoma spe- shells usually less than 10 mm in length. cies differ from R. philippinarum by having an Gemma gemma also has a small shell, but inner ventral margin that is not smooth (i.e., it is triangular in shape compared to Nutri- inner margin crenulated), a ligament that is cola species with elongate or oval shells. not prominent and fused siphons. Leukoma Tivela stultorum also has a triangular shell, staminea has shell sculpturing that is domi- but individuals are larger than G. gemma nated by numerous radiating ribs, with faint and have a smooth shell surface with shiny commarginal ridges and the opposite is true A publication of the University of Oregon Libraries and the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology Individual species: https://oimb.uoregon.edu/oregon-estuarine-invertebrates and full 3rd edition: http://hdl.handle.net/1794/18839 Email corrections to: [email protected] for its congener (i.e., dominant radiating survival is negatively effected by burial depth and commarginal ridges). (as little as 6 cm) and duration by bark chips A closely related Venerid, R. philip- from a log transferring facility (Freese and pinarum (Fig. 1a), has been introduced O’Clair 1987). A bioindicator species (e.g., from Japan, and is common in mud of bays Swartz et al. 1979; copper and copper-binding (Coan and Carlton 1975). It is elongate, proteins Roesijadi 1980), Leukoma staminea oval, and has a prominently elevated liga- survival and growth was also negatively ef- ment. Its radial ribs are quite strong and its fected by oil from the Exxon Valdez oil spill at color pattern distinctive. Its internal ventral least 5–6 years following the spill (Fukuyama margin is smooth, not crenulate, and its pal- et al. 2000; Fukuyama et al. 2014). Aside lial sinus only moderately deep. Its internal from the negative effect of hydrocarbon accu- color is yellowish with a purple stain. It mulation within clam tissues (see Thomas et lives at slightly higher elevations than does al. 2007), Fukuyama et al. (2014) suggest that L. staminea and can grow to 50 mm in the removal of fine sediment associated with length (Washington, Haderlie 1980). Other oil spill cleanup had a negative impact on L. bay clams of the same size and habitat as staminea populations. However, when tested L. staminea lack both its radial and concen- for the accumulation of hydrocarbons from tric sculpture. crude oil, L. staminea (a suspension feeder) showed less uptake than deposit feeders Ecological Information (e.g., Macoma inquinata and Phascolosoma Range: Type locality is California (see Orr et agassizii, Roesijadi et al. 1978). Interestingly, al. 2013). Known range extends from the L. staminea individuals were also more likely Aleutian Islands in Alaska to the Socorro to be preyed upon by Cancer magister in oiled Islands, Mexico. Previously known varieties habitats (Pearson et al. 1981). “Clam gar- of this species were divided into those north dens”, created adjacent to intertidal rock walls of San Francisco: var. ruderata (on constructed by human populations in the Hol- beaches) and var. orbella (in pholad ocene, have four times as many S. giganteus borings). Northern limit is Prince William and twice as many L. staminea individuals as Sound, Alaska (Feder et al. 1979). non-walled beaches, and transplanted juve- Local Distribution: Leukoma staminea is a niles of the latter species also grow faster (1.7 common clam in most of the larger North- times faster) in clam gardens (Groesbeck et west estuaries and bays, and around rocky al.