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Lunarca ovalis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Order:	Arcida
Family:	Arcidae
Genus:	Lunarca
Species:	L. ovalis
Binomial name
Lunarca ovalis (Bruguiere, 1789)
Synonyms
List Anadara ovalis (Bruguière, 1789) Arca americana W. Wood, 1828 Arca campechiensis Gmelin, 1791 Arca canalicostata E. Lamy, 1907 Arca cayenensis Lamarck, 1819 Arca declivis Dillwyn, 1817 Arca holmesii Kurtz, 1860 Arca ovalis Bruguière, 1789 Arca pariaensis Maury, 1912 Arca pectinoides P. P. King, 1832 Arca pexata Say, 1821 Arca semidentata Deshayes, 1850 Lunarca costata Gray, 1857

Lunarca ovalis, also known as the blood ark clam, is a species of clam in the family Arcidae. It can be found along North America coast of the Atlantic Ocean, ranging from Massachusetts to the West Indies and Brazil. It resides from the low-tide line to a depth of ten feet.

The blood ark clam is often noted for its appearance, for it can be two-thirds covered by dark brown, fur-like periostracum. It also noted for its red blood, which is a result of it containing hemoglobin; this makes it different from the majority of mollusks and earned it its name. The size is typically between one and three inches in length.

References

1. Abbott, R.T. & Morris, P.A. A Field Guide to Shells: Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and the West Indies. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1995. 11.

• http://www.mitchellspublications.com/guides/shells/articles/0002/

Sources

• https://web.archive.org/web/20120319221618/http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recNum=SS0068
• http://barnegatshellfish.org/ark_clams02.htm

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