Tridacna squamosa
Encyclopedia
Tridacna squamosa, colloquially known as the fluted giant clam, is one of a number of large clam
species native to the shallow coral
reefs of the South Pacific
and Indian ocean
s. It is distinguished by the presence of large leaf-like fluted edges on its shell called 'scutes' and a byssal
opening that is rather small as compared to other members of the Tridacnidae family. Normal coloration of the mantle
ranges from browns and purples to greens and yellows arranged in elongated linear or spot-like patterns. Tridacna squamosa grows to 40 centimetres (15.7 in) across.
Sessile
in adulthood, the creature's mantle tissues
act as a habitat
for the symbiotic single-celled dinoflagellate
algae
(zooxanthellae
) from which it gets a major portion of its nutrition. By day, the clam spreads out its mantle tissue so that the algae receive the sunlight
they need to photosynthesize
.
to the Red Sea
and out to the Marshall Islands
.
Tridacna squamosa is sometimes kept in aquaria
, where it requires a moderate amount of care. This species is a relatively hardy member of the Tridacnidae
family.
A moderate amount of light is required by this species because it relies on zooxanthellae for part of its nutrition. These dinoflagellates use the mantle of as a habitat to photosynthesize. However, it is not nearly as dependent on this photosynthesis
as other Tridacnids such as Tridacna crocea or Tridacna maxima and also consumes phytoplankton
to complete its diet.
Tridacna squamosa is a peaceful resident and does not harm other organisms, in the wild or otherwise. Despite its ability to shut completely, anemones, trigger fish and puffers may be predators in a domestic environment. It is also recommended that they not be kept with anemones as the anemone may move close to the clam and sting or eat it.
In aquaria, it should be kept lower in the display and although some specimens prefer lying in the substrate they will occasionally attach their byssal threads to rocks above the substrate.
All clams require good to excellent water quality, but may help reduce nitrate levels in a system. Clams are noted to consume free nitrates to a degree.
Clam
The word "clam" can be applied to freshwater mussels, and other freshwater bivalves, as well as marine bivalves.In the United States, "clam" can be used in several different ways: one, as a general term covering all bivalve molluscs...
species native to the shallow coral
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
reefs of the South Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
and Indian ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
s. It is distinguished by the presence of large leaf-like fluted edges on its shell called 'scutes' and a byssal
Byssus
Byssus means both a silky filament by which certain molluscs attach themselves to hard surfaces, and a rare fabric, also called sea silk and its fibre source.-Word:...
opening that is rather small as compared to other members of the Tridacnidae family. Normal coloration of the mantle
Mantle (mollusc)
The mantle is a significant part of the anatomy of molluscs: it is the dorsal body wall which covers the visceral mass and usually protrudes in the form of flaps well beyond the visceral mass itself.In many, but by no means all, species of molluscs, the epidermis of the mantle secretes...
ranges from browns and purples to greens and yellows arranged in elongated linear or spot-like patterns. Tridacna squamosa grows to 40 centimetres (15.7 in) across.
Sessile
Sessility (zoology)
In zoology, sessility is a characteristic of animals which are not able to move about. They are usually permanently attached to a solid substrate of some kind, such as a part of a plant or dead tree trunk, a rock, or the hull of a ship in the case of barnacles. Corals lay down their own...
in adulthood, the creature's mantle tissues
Mantle (mollusc)
The mantle is a significant part of the anatomy of molluscs: it is the dorsal body wall which covers the visceral mass and usually protrudes in the form of flaps well beyond the visceral mass itself.In many, but by no means all, species of molluscs, the epidermis of the mantle secretes...
act as a habitat
Habitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
for the symbiotic single-celled dinoflagellate
Dinoflagellate
The dinoflagellates are a large group of flagellate protists. Most are marine plankton, but they are common in fresh water habitats as well. Their populations are distributed depending on temperature, salinity, or depth...
algae
Algae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
(zooxanthellae
Zooxanthella
Zooxanthellae are flagellate protozoa that are golden-brown intracellular endosymbionts of various marine animals and protozoa, especially anthozoans such as the scleractinian corals and the tropical sea anemone, Aiptasia....
) from which it gets a major portion of its nutrition. By day, the clam spreads out its mantle tissue so that the algae receive the sunlight
Sunlight
Sunlight, in the broad sense, is the total frequency spectrum of electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun. On Earth, sunlight is filtered through the Earth's atmosphere, and solar radiation is obvious as daylight when the Sun is above the horizon.When the direct solar radiation is not blocked...
they need to photosynthesize
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is a chemical process that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight. Photosynthesis occurs in plants, algae, and many species of bacteria, but not in archaea. Photosynthetic organisms are called photoautotrophs, since they can...
.
Range
The native range of spans from South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
to the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
and out to the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
.
Domestication
Aquaria
Aquaria may refer to:*Aquarium, in the plural*Aquaria , a computer game*Aquaria , a Brazilian metal band*Aquaria, one of the Twelve Colonies in Battlestar Galactica...
, where it requires a moderate amount of care. This species is a relatively hardy member of the Tridacnidae
Tridacnidae
The Tridacninae are a subfamily of Bivalves colloquially known as giant clams. The family contains the biggest bivalve species, including Tridacna gigas, the giant clam. They have heavy shells, fluted with 4–6 folds. Mantle is usually brightly coloured. They inhabit coral reefs in warm seas of the...
family.
A moderate amount of light is required by this species because it relies on zooxanthellae for part of its nutrition. These dinoflagellates use the mantle of as a habitat to photosynthesize. However, it is not nearly as dependent on this photosynthesis
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is a chemical process that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight. Photosynthesis occurs in plants, algae, and many species of bacteria, but not in archaea. Photosynthetic organisms are called photoautotrophs, since they can...
as other Tridacnids such as Tridacna crocea or Tridacna maxima and also consumes phytoplankton
Phytoplankton
Phytoplankton are the autotrophic component of the plankton community. The name comes from the Greek words φυτόν , meaning "plant", and πλαγκτός , meaning "wanderer" or "drifter". Most phytoplankton are too small to be individually seen with the unaided eye...
to complete its diet.
Tridacna squamosa is a peaceful resident and does not harm other organisms, in the wild or otherwise. Despite its ability to shut completely, anemones, trigger fish and puffers may be predators in a domestic environment. It is also recommended that they not be kept with anemones as the anemone may move close to the clam and sting or eat it.
In aquaria, it should be kept lower in the display and although some specimens prefer lying in the substrate they will occasionally attach their byssal threads to rocks above the substrate.
All clams require good to excellent water quality, but may help reduce nitrate levels in a system. Clams are noted to consume free nitrates to a degree.