Arctica islandica Information & Arctica islandica Links at HealthHaven.com

Ocean quahog
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia;
Phylum:	Mollusca;
Class:	Bivalvia;
Order:	Veneroida;
Family:	Arcticidae;
Genus:	Arctica;
Species:	A. islandica;
Binomial name
	Arctica islandica; Linnaeus, 1767

The dark periostracum is flaking off of this dried-out valve of Arctica islandica from Wales

Arctica islandica, commonly known as the ocean quahog, is an edible marine bivalve mollusk native to the North Atlantic ocean, which is exploited commercially. This species is also known by a number of different common names, including Icelandic cyprine,^[1] mahogany clam, mahogany quahog, black quahog, and black clam.^[2]

The typical arctica islandica resembles the quahog, but the shell of the ocean quahog is rounder, the periostracum is usually black, and on the interior of the shell, the palial line has no indentation, or sinus. Unlike the quahog, which lives intertidally and can be collected by clam digging, this species lives subtidally, and can only be collected by dredging.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

^ Sabatini, M. & Pizzola, P.F., 2007. Arctica islandica. Icelandic cyprine. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 14/09/2007]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/Arcticaislandica.htm>
^ Hackney, Cameron R.; Thomas E. Rippen (2000). "The Molluscan Shellfish Industry". in Roy E. Martin, Emily Paine Carter, Jr., George J. Flick, Lynn M. Davis. Marine and Freshwater Products Handbook. CRC Press. pp. 323–324. ISBN 1566768896.

[edit] External links

[0] Sabatini, M. & Pizzola, P.F., 2007. Arctica islandica. Icelandic cyprine. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 14/09/2007]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/Arcticaislandica.htm>

[Hackney-1] Hackney, Cameron R.; Thomas E. Rippen (2000). "The Molluscan Shellfish Industry". in Roy E. Martin, Emily Paine Carter, Jr., George J. Flick, Lynn M. Davis. Marine and Freshwater Products Handbook. CRC Press. pp. 323–324. ISBN 1566768896.

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