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Mya arenaria
Common name(s): Eastern Soft-shell Clam
Size:
Up to 110 mm
Range:
S. British Columbia, Canada to S. California
Habitat:
Intertidal to 9 m in muddy or sandy bays and estuaries buried up to 30 cm deep.
Misidentification:
Tresus capax, Saxidomus giganteus
Life History:
An accidentally introduced species, believed to have been brought over with Crassostrea virginica spat introduced commercially to San Francisco Bay in 1869, it is indigenous to the Atlantic Coast and Europe although there is evidence in Pliocene fossil records that this species did at one time occur naturally along the East Pacific coast. Mya arenaria has two spawning seasons. One in the fall and the other in the spring. The male spawns first which signals the females to spawn. All life stages of this species are estuarine. After reaching maturity this species outgrows its foot and ceases to dig.
Predators:
Raccoons, shore birds, Pisaster spp.
Additional Resources:
*"Size" refers to shell length only and only gives the largest average size for the given species.
Last updated Tuesday, August 29, 2006, by Lisa Ferrier
