| Banded venus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Veneroida |
| Family: | Veneridae |
| Genus: | Venus |
| Species: | V. fasciata |
| Binomial name | |
| Venus fasciata (da Costa, 1778) |
|
The banded venus, Venus fasciata, is a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Veneridae. Species currently classified in the genus Venus are generally referred to as venuses or venus clams.
The banded venus has a recorded distribution and common around all coasts of Britain and Ireland. It is found in coarse gravel, typically containing sand or shell fragments, down to depths of as much as 100 m.
This species has a solid, flat, sub-triangular shell which grows to 2.5 cm in length. Surface color is variable; red, pink, purple, yellow or brown with radiating bands and colorful streaks. It may have up to fifteen broad concentric ridges on older specimens. The interior is dull white.