European Gem Clam [Gemma gemmae]
Description
The European Gem Clam is a rare marine species that is similar in appearance to the Atlantic Gem Clam. It is also small, with a white, circular shell. However, it is typically found in the Mediterranean Sea and the northeast Atlantic. Like other species in the Gemma genus, it inhabits soft bottoms of estuaries and coastal areas, living buried in the sediment. It is a suspension feeder, filtering out plankton and other microscopic organisms from the water column.
Taxonomy
| Phylum |
Mollusks
Mollusca
|
|---|---|
| Class |
Clams, Oysters, and Scallops
Bivalvia
|
| Order |
Clams
Veneroida
|
| Family |
Venus Clams
Veneridae
|
| Genus |
Gemma
Gemma
|