Tridacna in the context of "Marine aquarium"

Play Trivia Questions online!

 or

Skip to study material about Tridacna in the context of "Marine aquarium"

⭐ Core Definition: Tridacna

Tridacna is a genus of large saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs in the subfamily Tridacninae, the giant clams. Many Tridacna species are threatened. They have heavy shells, fluted with 4 to 6 folds. The mantle is often brightly coloured. They inhabit shallow waters of coral reefs in warm seas of the Indo-Pacific region. These clams are popular in marine aquaria, and in some areas, such as the Philippines, members of the genus are farmed for the marine aquarium trade. They live in symbiosis with photosynthetic algae (zooxanthellae). Some species are eaten by humans.

All species in the genus Tridacna are protected under CITES Appendix II.

↓ Menu

In this Dossier

Tridacna in the context of Giant clam

Tridacna gigas, the giant clam, is the best-known species of the giant clam genus Tridacna. Giant clams are the largest living bivalve molluscs. Several other species of "giant clam" in the genus Tridacna are often misidentified as Tridacna gigas.

These clams were known to indigenous peoples of East Asia for thousands of years and the Venetian scholar and explorer Antonio Pigafetta documented them in a journal as early as 1521. One of a number of large clam species native to the shallow coral reefs of the South Pacific and Indian oceans, they may weigh more than 200 kilograms (440 lb), measure as much as 120 cm (47 in) across, and have an average lifespan in the wild of more than 100 years. They also are found off the shores of the Philippines and in the South China Sea in the coral reefs of Malaysia.

↑ Return to Menu
LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Giant clam
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
NOAA → Genus → Clam → Marine (ocean) → Bivalve → Mollusc → Tridacninae → Mantle (mollusc) → Coral reef → Indo-Pacific → Marine aquarium → Philippines → Symbiosis → Algae → Zooxanthella → CITES Appendix II →