Veneridae

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Veneridae

Venus verrucosa

Kingdom:	Animalia
Subkingdom:	Metazoa
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Subclass:	Heterodonta
Order:	Veneroida
Superfamily:	Veneroidea
Family:	Veneridae Rafinesque, 1815

Genera

See text.

The Veneridae or venerids, also known as venus clams, are a large family of marine bivalve molluscs.

Many of the most important edible species of Veneridae are commonly known simply as clams, and they make up a significant part of the world fishery of edible bivalves. Venerids include some well known species such as the hard clam or quahog, Mercenaria mercenaria.

There are over 500 living species of venerid. Their classification has been controversial at least since the 1930s. The most used classification is that of Keen (1969) which recognises 12 subfamilies, listed below. Some common species have been moved between genera (including genera in different subfamilies) because of repeated attempts to bring a more valid organization to the classification or taxonomy of the family, therefore changes in the generic name of species are frequently encountered.

The characters used for classifying this group still tend to be superficial and to focus on external features, especially those of the shell, so further reclassification is to be expected as current research in molecular systematics bears fruit.

1 Subfamilies according to Keen (1969)
2 List of genera
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Subfamilies according to Keen (1969)

Chioninae
Circinae
Clementinae
Cyclinae
Dosiniinae
Gemminae
Meretricinae
Pitarinae
Samaranginae
Sunettinae
Vapetinae
Venerinae

[edit] List of genera

(may be incomplete)

Agriopoma Dall, 1902
Amiantis Carpenter, 1884
Anomalocardia Schumacher, 1817
Austrovenus Finlay,1927
Bassina Jukes-Browne, 1914
Callista Poli, 1791
Chamelea Morch, 1853
Chione Megerle von Mühlfeld, 1811
Chionopsis Olsson, 1932
Chionista Keen, 1958
Circomphalus Klein, 1853
Clausinella J. E. Gray, 1851
Compsomyax Stewart, 1930
Cyclinella Dall, 1902
Dosinia Scopoli, 1777
Gafrarium Roding, 1798
Gemma Deshayes, 1853
Globivenus Coen, 1934
Gouldia C. B. Adams, 1847
Humilaria Grant and Gale, 1931
Irus Schmidt, 1818
Irusella Hertlein and Grant, 1972
Liocyma Dall, 1870
Lirophora Conrad, 1883
Macrocallista Meek, 1876
Mercenaria Schumacher, 1817
Meretrix Linnaeus, 1758
Nutricola Bernard, 1982
Parastarte Conrad, 1862
Periglypta Jukes-Browne, 1914
Pitar Römer, 1857
Protothaca Dall, 1902
Psephidia Dall, 1902
Saxidomus Conrad, 1837
Tapes Muhlfeld, 1811
Tawera Marwick, 1927
Timoclea Brown, 1827
Tivela Link, 1807
Transennella Dall, 1883
Venerupis Lamarck, 1818
Ventricolaria Keen, 1954
Venus Linnaeus, 1758

[edit] References

Keen, A. M. (1969). Superfamily Veneracea. pp. 670-690, in: Leslie Reginald Cox et al., Part N [Bivalvia], Mollusca 6, vols. 1 and 2: xxxvii + 952 pp. Part of Raymond C. Moore, ed., Treatise on invertebrate paleontology. Lawrence, Kansas (Geological Society of America & University of Kansas).
Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1