Pearl white Deresa

S

soonerfan12

New member
I was wondering if anyone has heard of or seen a white deresa clam before? I purchased a 2" deresa that is pearl white, not bleached, it has blue and purple lines through it but the shell is bright white and the mantle is pearl white. The LFS just got it in and they said it was normal. I have left it at the store to keep an eye on it till friday, But i had to buy in case, i've never seen anything like it before and i personally think it's pretty cool, I guess some might not but oh well. Any feedback please. Today is mon will have pics on fri for those who find interesting.
 
I've seen thousands of derasas, and not one that was pearly white and healthy. When clams bleach, they don't neccessarily go all white, and bleaching can be patchy, as well.

There are lots of iridescent structures in the mantle (called iridophores), too, which give it the metallic look or a sheen, so when you say pearly I tend to think it's a bleached clam and you are seeing the sheen from the iridophores.

I'd pass on it personally, although clams quite commonly recover from bleaching in the wild.

My two cents.
 
I have heard of totally white squamosas before. NOT bleached. 3 plus years in captivity and 5+ inches of growth prove it was not "bleached"
JJ
 
Please give me some details about the white squamosas. Where, when, who, etc. That's very interesting.

I'd like to talk to the owner if possible.

Thanks
 
Also - I just noticed that soonerfan12 is in Cocoa, FL. I'm in Orlando, so could you tell me where you found that clam? I'd like to take a look myself.

Thanks
 
Well, I got on the net and looked up shops in Cocoa. There's only one that I could find that carries reef stuff, so I called, and they said they've only had some 2" brown derasas. No white ones.
 
Cappucino Bay Aquarium (LFS) has one. I saw it today. Did not ask how much it was. They also have a beautiful Carolina blue Squamie. They are a little to proud ($) of that one for me! They are in Marietta Ga.
 
sooner,

It's hard to say without pics, but what you're describing sounds a lot like what Daniel Knop calls "local bleaching" albeit in this case the whole clam is affected. To quote:

"The area is characterized by a complete loss of symbiotic algae but the protective pigment is retained and therefore the spots are not colorless but lose only the brownish tinge. In this respect it is different from the central bleaching where all pigments are lost.

I was able to observe this condition several times after a reduction of light intensity without changes in light quality, duration of illumination or other environmental conditions. A change of location in an aquarium alone was enough, in some cases, to trigger the condition. In another case the elimination of certain spectrums of light caused the disease, without any change to the UV light intensity.
Click to expand...

The pictures of this condition sound exactly like the clam you describe ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ beautiful patterns, but less intense and ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œpearly.ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ He also describes general bleaching caused by lack of nitrate and bleaching caused by lack of light, but the pictures arenââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t as clear.

Perhaps Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m being overly cynical, but Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢d be as suspicious of an LFS trying to sell me a white clam as Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢d be of a nursery trying to sell me an albino tree.

Best of luck,

John

Giant Clams: A Comprehensive Guide to the Identification and Care of Tridacnid Clams by Daniel Knop, http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...002-5055539-3341661?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
 
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