Bivalve ID Please!!!

[anentwich]

Hey Everyone,

I got a hitchhicker bivalve of some sort on some Caribbean LR that I bought. In the pic below, it is the opening next to the orange cladocora, which is actually attached to the bivalve. It occasionally opens and closes and there's even more opening that extends below what you can see. An ID would be spectacular if possible.

Thanks in advance.

<a href="http://s600.photobucket.com/albums/tt89/anentwich/?action=view&current=DSCN0682.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/tt89/anentwich/DSCN0682.jpg" border="0" alt="clam?"></a>

 

[pagojoe]

If the shell is more or less spherical, it's probably a Chama species. Hard to go beyond that without scraping the encrustations off the shell.

Cheers,




Don

 

[philter4]

I agree with Don, Chama is very common and usually allows other animals to encurst over it, I've rarely seen them without encursting over the shell. I'v seen them with coral, as yours is, sponges, anemones, octocoral and algae. Sometimes while diving the only reason they are seen is a tree sponge suddenly moves. Many of the other oysters that are common do not allow things except coralline algae to grow on the shells.

 

[anentwich]

So then it's a type of oyster?

 

[pagojoe]

Yes, oyster, but in a different family from the pearl oysters or hammer oysters or edible oysters (Chamidae).

Cheers,



Don

 

[anentwich]

Thanks a bunch.

Have a great weekend!