The Buttercup Lucine
Anodontia alba (Link, 1807)
Family Lucinidae
Buttercup Lucines are a common shell on the S. Hutchinson Island beaches. Unfortunately the beak area is frequently damged as the shell is usually not thick. The yellow/orange found on the inside is not present on my shells many of which are badly worn.
Buttercup lucines with a gray streak (S. Hutchinson Island 2020)
Shell size to 50 mm; shell circular, large, inflated. Sculpture of numerous, weak, concentric growth lines. Hinge teeth weak. Color dull-white sometimes with light-orange bands, internally bright-yellow to orange.
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The Buttercup Lucine
The Buttercup Lucine, Anodontia alba Link, 1807 is a local clam belonging to the diverse family Lucinidae. Its shell may reach about 50 mm (about 2 inches) in length, and is circular, inflated, with many fine, commarginal (concentric) growth lines. The color is mostly dull-white, and the internal surface of the shell valves is bright-yellow to orange. Lucinids are mostly filter-feeders that also host symbiotic bacteria in their gills, which provide them with an additional source of food. The Buttercup Lucine is no exception to that.