Dinocardium

Dinocardium is a genus of large saltwater clams or cockles, marine bivalve molluscs in the family Cardiidae, the cockles. There is only one species in the genus, Dinocardium robustum, or the Atlantic giant cockle.

Dinocardium
Shell of Dinocardium robustum from Florida at the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Order:	Cardiida
Family:	Cardiidae
Genus:	Dinocardium Dall, 1900
Species:	D. robustum
Binomial name
Dinocardium robustum (Lightfoot, 1786)
Synonyms
Cardium maculatum Gmelin, 1791 Cardium magnum Born, 1778 (non Linnaeus, 1758) (synonym) Cardium obliquum Spengler, 1799 (synonym) Cardium obliquum vanhyningi Clench & Smith, 1944 (synonym) Cardium robustum Lightfoot, 1786 Cardium ventricosum Bruguière, 1789 (synonym) Dinocardium robustum vanhyningi Clench & Smith, 1944

Description

Dinocardium robustum has a shell that reaches a length of 100–125 mm. This large and sturdy shell is obliquely ovate, with crenulate margins and about 32–36 rounded radial ribs present on both the inside and the outside. The valves are symmetrical with one another (equivalve). The basic color of the surface usually is creamy white, mottled with reddish-brown markings, while the interior is pinkish. This cockle burrows into the substrate by means of its strong foot, and like most bivalves feeds by filtering the water for plankton.

• 
  Dinocardium robustum
  Right valve
• 
  Dinocardium robustum
  Left valve

• 
  Dinocardium robustum vanhyningi
  Right valve
• 
  Dinocardium robustum vanhyningi
  Left valve

Distribution

This species can be found along the western Atlantic coast of North America, in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Caribbean Sea.

References

• Biolib
• WoRMS

External links

• Photos of Dinocardium on Sealife Collection