The pod razor, Ensis siliqua, is a coast

Coast

A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...

al bivalve of Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

an waters. It is edible and has been exploited commercially, especially in Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 and Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

.

There is at least one subspecies

Subspecies

Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...

: E.s. minor.

Description

The valves of the shell are elongated and reach a length of up to twentyone centimetres. The two sides are straight and parallel. The colour is creamy white, sometimes with brownish stripes, and the periostracum

Periostracum

The periostracum is a thin organic coating or "skin" which is the outermost layer of the shell of many shelled animals, including mollusks and brachiopods. Among mollusks it is primarily seen in snails and clams, i.e. in bivalves and gastropods, but it is also found in cephalopods such as the...

 is olive green. It is sculptured with fine lines and growth marks can be seen. The anterior end is truncated while the posterior end is rounded. It has a very large foot and is capable of burrowing in the fine, hard-packed muddy sediments that it favours. where it is associated with the starfish (Astropecten irregularis) and the common otter shell (Lutraria lutraria

Lutraria lutraria

Lutraria lutraria is a species of large marine bivalve mollusc in the family Mactridae. Its common names include the otter shell and the common otter shell...

).

Distribution and habitat

E. siliqua is found in coastal areas of the north east Atlantic Ocean from the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the Mediterranean Sea.