Veneridae

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Veneridae

Venus verrucosa

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Subkingdom:	Metazoa
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Subclass:	Heterodonta
Order:	Veneroida
Superfamily:	Veneroidea
Family:	Veneridae Rafinesque, 1815

Genera

See text.

The Veneridae or venerids are a family of marine bivalve molluscs. Many of them are commonly known as clams, and they make up a significant part of the world fishery of clams. They include some well known species such as the hard clam or quahog, Mercenaria mercenaria.

There are over 500 living species of venerid. Their classification has been controversial at least since the 1930s. The most used classification is that of Keen (1969) which recognises 12 subfamilies, listed below. Some common species have been moved between genera, including genera in different subfamilies, by repeated attempts to bring order to the classification of the family, so changes in systematic name are frequently encountered. The characters used for classifying the group still tend to be superficial and to focus on external features especially those of the shell, so further reclassification is to be expected as current research in molecular systematics bears fruit.

1 Subfamilies according to Keen (1969)
2 List of genera
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Subfamilies according to Keen (1969)

Chioninae
Circinae
Clementinae
Cyclinae
Dosiniinae
Gemminae
Meretricinae
Pitarinae
Samaranginae
Sunettinae
Vapetinae
Venerinae

[edit] List of genera

(may be incomplete)

Agriopoma Dall, 1902
Amiantis Carpenter, 1884
Anomalocardia Schumacher, 1817
Austrovenus Finlay,1927
Bassina Jukes-Browne, 1914
Callista Poli, 1791
Chamelea Morch, 1853
Chione Megerle von Mühlfeld, 1811
Chionista Keen, 1958
Circomphalus Klein, 1853
Clausinella J. E. Gray, 1851
Compsomyax Stewart, 1930
Cyclinella Dall, 1902
Dosinia Scopoli, 1777
Gafrarium Roding, 1798
Gemma Deshayes, 1853
Globivenus Coen, 1934
Gouldia C. B. Adams, 1847
Humilaria Grant and Gale, 1931
Irus Schmidt, 1818
Irusella Hertlein and Grant, 1972
Liocyma Dall, 1870
Lirophora Conrad, 1883
Macrocallista Meek, 1876
Mercenaria Schumacher, 1817
Nutricola Bernard, 1982
Parastarte Conrad, 1862
Periglypta Jukes-Browne, 1914
Pitar Römer, 1857
Protothaca Dall, 1902
Psephidia Dall, 1902
Puberella Fischer-Piette and Vukadinovic, 1977
Saxidomus Conrad, 1837
Tapes Muhlfeld, 1811
Timoclea Brown, 1827
Tivela Link, 1807
Transennella Dall, 1883
Venerupis Lamarck, 1818
Ventricolaria Keen, 1954
Venus Linnaeus, 1758

[edit] References

Keen, A. M. (1969). Superfamily Veneracea. pp. 670-690, in: Leslie Reginald Cox et al., Part N [Bivalvia], Mollusca 6, vols. 1 and 2: xxxvii + 952 pp. Part of Raymond C. Moore, ed., Treatise on invertebrate paleontology. Lawrence, Kansas (Geological Society of America & University of Kansas).