Shell
Sea almond
Glycymeris glycymeris
(VIII) Bay of Biscay
Zone de pêche
Wild
Origine
6 cm
Taille minimale
Description
The sea almond is a species of edible marine bivalve mollusk with a round, thick shell, so named because of its almond-like shape and habitat. It is a commonly available seafood, a variety of clam. Its shell can reach 6.5 cm in length. It is thick and nearly circular. The anterior hinge line curves downward more sharply than the posterior one. The shell’s color varies from brown to yellow to light purplish-red. It feeds on phytoplankton, which it filters from the water using its gills.
Habitat
The sea almond lives flat on the seabed, buried in coarse sand—a mixture of gravel and shells—sometimes in sandy to muddy substrates at depths of up to 100 meters, rarely deeper.
Distribution
The sea almond is found in the northeastern Atlantic, from Norway to Morocco, as well as in the Mediterranean and the North Sea.