Mercenaria
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This article is about genus of clams. For other uses, see Mercenaria (disambiguation).
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 Hard clams Mercenaria mercenaria
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Mercenaria is a genus of edible saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs in the family Veneridae, the Venus clams.
The genus Mercenaria includes the quahogs, Mercenaria mercenaria, the northern quahog or hard clam, and M. campechiensis, the southern quahog. These two species commonly hybridise where their ranges overlap.
Other species within the genus include the venus clam M. stimpsoni found in north Pacific waters.
All these species were formerly placed in the related genus Venus. Several other species are known only from fossils.
[edit] Extant species
- Southern quahog, Mercenaria campechiensis
- Northern quahog or hard clam, Mercenaria mercenaria
- Venus clam, Mercenaria stimpsoni
[edit] Fossil species
- Mercenaria corrugata
- Mercenaria druidi
- Mercenaria permagna
- Mercenaria tridacnoides
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