Mollusca · mollusks
Ocean quahog
Arctica islandica
Arcticidae · ocean quahogsIUCN: Not evaluated
A slow-growing deep-water clam with annual growth rings in its shell.
Fun factOne called 'Ming' was 507 years old, the oldest animal ever aged precisely.
- Waters
- Northeast US, Northwest Atlantic, Northeast Atlantic
- Depth zone
- Continental shelf
- Diet
- Plankton (filter feeder)
- Size
- Shell up to 13 cm
Classification
Mollusca › Bivalvia › Arcticidae
- Kingdom Animalia animals
- Many-celled organisms that eat other living things for energy (heterotrophs)
- Cells have no cell walls
- Most can move at some stage of life
- Clade Bilateria bilateral animals
- Body has a left and right side that mirror each other (bilateral symmetry)
- Head end with concentrated nerves; three tissue layers
- Includes about 99% of all living animal species
- Clade Protostomia protostomes
- In the embryo, the first opening usually becomes the mouth
- Main nerve cord runs along the belly (ventral)
- Includes mollusks, worms, and arthropods
- Clade Spiralia mollusks, worms & kin
- Embryos usually divide in a spiral pattern (spiral cleavage)
- Many have a swimming larva with a band of cilia (trochophore)
- Includes mollusks and segmented worms
- Phylum Mollusca mollusks
- Soft body with a muscular foot and a fold of tissue (mantle) that makes the shell
- Most have a rasping, tongue-like ribbon of teeth (radula)
- Includes snails, clams, octopuses, and chitons
- Class Bivalvia clams, oysters & kin
- Body enclosed in two hinged shells (valves)
- No head and no radula
- Most filter food from water with large gills
- Subclass Heterodonta clams & cockles
- Hinge has distinct cardinal and lateral teeth
- Many burrow in sediment using a long siphon
- Includes clams and cockles
- Family Arcticidae ocean quahogs
- Ocean quahogs: thick, round shells with a dark outer layer
- Extremely long-lived
- Genus Arctica
- Species in the same genus are very close relatives and often look alike.
- Species Arctica islandica Ocean quahog
Closest relatives in the guide
- Atlantic jackknife clam Ensis leei same class
- Atlantic sea scallop Placopecten magellanicus same class
- Atlantic surfclam Spisula solidissima same class
- Bay scallop Argopecten irradians same class
- Blue mussel Mytilus edulis same class
- Eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica same class
- Giant clam Tridacna gigas same class
- Hard clam Mercenaria mercenaria same class