Moeyo

The Spotted Hard Clam is a triangular, smooth-shelled clam from the tidal flats of the Yellow Sea and nearby Asian coasts. It is a prized food clam in Korea and is shipped to Japan as a stand-in for the native hard clam there. It does not live in the United States.

Appearance

Appearance
Usually about 2¾ in (7 cm) long. The shell is a rounded triangle, fairly tall, with a bulging rear upper edge. The inside of the shell is often purple toward the back.

Where it lives

Typical habitats
  • Tidal flats
  • Sheltered bays
Range
Native to the west coast of the Korean Peninsula, the coast of China, and northern Vietnam. It has been imported and released in Japan, but it has not been reported from the United States.
Preferred conditions
Buried in sand and mud in sheltered bays, from the low-tide zone down to about 33 ft (10 m).

Connected species

Close relatives
  • Japanese Hard ClamMeretrix lusoria

    A very close relative from Japan and southern Korea; the two are hard to tell apart by shell alone, and they have hybridized in Japan.

Conservation

IUCN Red List
NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed

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Spotted Hard Clam (Meretrix petechialis) — identification, habitat & look-alikes | Moeyo