Veneroida

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iVeneroida

Empty cockle shell

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Subclass:	Heterodonta
Order:	Veneroida

Families

See text.

The Veneroida or veneroids are an order of bivalve molluscs. They include some familiar forms such as clams, cockles and zebra mussels. They are generally thick-valved, equal valved and isomyarian (that is, their adductor muscles are of equal size). The name means "perfected teeth", referring to the three teeth characteristic of the subclass Heterodonta to which this order belongs. Many species are active rather than sessile. However they tend to be filter feeders, feeding through paired siphons, with a characteristic folded gill structure adapted to that way of life.

Recent work in molecular systematics has suggested that this order is not monophyletic. If this conclusion is sustained, the order will presumably be broken up in due course.

[edit] Classification

Superfamily Veneroidea
- Petricolidae
- Veneridae
Superfamily Astartoidea
- Astartidae
Superfamily Corbiculoidea
- Corbiculidae
- Sphaeriidae
Superfamily Tellinoidea
- Donacidae
- Psammobiidae
- Semelidae
- Tellinidae
Superfamily Arcticoidea
- Arcticidae
Superfamily Cardioidea
- Cardiidae
- Tridacnidae
Superfamily Dreissenoidea
- Dreissenidae
Superfamily Galeommatoidea
- Galeommatidae
- Lasaeidae
- Kelliidae
Superfamily Glossoidea
- Glossidae
- Vesicomyidae
Superfamily Lucinoidea
- Cyrenoididae
- Fimbriidae
- Lucinidae
- Thyasiridae
- Ungulinidae
Superfamily Mactroidea
- Mactridae
Superfamily Solenoidea
- Pharidae
- Solenidae
Superfamily Carditoidea
- Carditidae
Superfamily Gastrochaenoidea
- Gastrochaenidae
Superfamily Cyamioidea
- Sportellidae
Superfamily Chamoidea
- Chamidae
Superfamily Crassatelloidea
- Crassatellidae