Short Yoldia Clam

Yoldia sapotilla

This bivalve is oval and elongated with a rounded anterior end and a narrow posterior end. The colour is pale green. It can grow up to 2.5 centimetres in length.

Authority

Gould, 1841

Classification Details

Phylum: Mollusca (molluscs); Class: Bivalvia (bivalve molluscs).

Habitat

Found on the east coast of North America, from Labrador to North Carolina. Occurs at depths of 0 to 82 metres. Prefers muddy substrates.

Diet

Sub-surface deposit feeder. Two long tentacles extend from pockets called labial palps on either side of the mouth. These search for organic particles in the sediment. Particles pass down a groove in the tentacle to the lamellae where ciliated tracts sort the particles.

Reproduction

Little information is available for this species. Bivalves have separate sexes or can be hermaphrodites. There is often a trochophore and veliger larval phase.

Fun Facts

This species is a major component of the diet of commercial fish species, including cod and haddock.

References

MolluscaBase (2020) MolluscaBase. Yoldia sapotilla (Gould, 1841). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=157007 Accessed online 22 January 2020.

Morris PA, Abbott RT and Peterson RT (2001) A Field Guide to Shells: Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and the West Indies. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Palomares MLD and Pauly D (2019) Sealife Base. Yoldia sapotilla (Gould, 1841) shot yoldia. https://www.sealifebase.se/summary/Yoldia-sapotilla.html Accessed online 22 January 2020.