Saxidomus nuttalli
Species of bivalve
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saxidomus nuttalli is a species of large edible saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Veneridae, the venus clams.[1] Common names include California butterclam[1] and Washington clam.[2]
| Saxidomus nuttalli | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Venerida |
| Superfamily: | Veneroidea |
| Family: | Veneridae |
| Genus: | Saxidomus |
| Species: | S. nuttalli |
| Binomial name | |
| Saxidomus nuttalli Dixon, 1788 | |
This clam is native to the west coast of North America, its distribution extending from northern California to Baja California.[2]
This is a commercially exploited species that attains a length of approximately 15 cm.[3]
Archaeology
This species was harvested by Chumash peoples on the central California coast, at least as early as the Millingstone Horizon.[4] The shells were used as currency by local native peoples.[2]
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