Anadara granosa Seashell Bivalve Thistle Cockle Clam Comb Mussel

Description

Origin : Madras, Tamilnadu, India

Anadara granosa mm 35-45 Seashell Bivalve Thistle Cockle Clam Comb Mussel, only one valve.
Also available in lots, at this link.
Family: Arcidae.
Common name: Blood Cockle or Blood Clam.
Syn. Tegillarca granosa, Arca granosa.

Anadara granosa is a species of bivalve mollusc of the Arcid family. Its common name is due to the red liquid of hemoglobin within the soft tissues.
This species is found in the Indo-Pacific region from the east coast of South Africa to southern Asia and in Australia, Polynesia and northern Japan. It lives mainly in the intertidal zone at a depth of one or two meters, buried in sand or mud. Adults are 5-6cm long and 4-5cm wide. This animal is exploited by mariculture in Asia, and therefore has a great economic interest. Living in an oxygen-poor environment, Tegillarca granosa accumulates in its flesh different types of viruses and bacteria (hepatitis A and E, typhus, dysentery, etc.) which are not always destroyed by the traditional preparation used in Shanghai (boiling it very briefly) .