| Ensis macha | |
|---|---|
| Empty shell of Ensis macha | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Veneroida |
| Family: | Pharidae |
| Genus: | Ensis |
| Species: | E. macha |
| Binomial name | |
| Ensis macha (Molina, 1782) [1] |
|
The Ensis macha, or Navaja or Navajuela as it is called in Spanish, is a bivalve mollusc of the family Pharidae. It inhabits the coasts of Peru, Chile and southern Argentina. Ensis macha lives in sand or muddy sediments in the subtidal zone[2] where it can burrow to a depth of up to 13 metres. Ensis macha is one of the world's economically most significant Ensis species, with a total catch of 6,000 tons in Chile in 1999.[3]