Veneridae

The Veneridae or venerids, common name: Venus clams, are a very large family of minute to large, saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs. Over 500 living species of venerid bivalves are known, most of which are edible, and many of which are exploited as food sources.

Veneridae

Hans Hillewaert · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikipedia/Commons. May be a photograph of a specimen, or an artist’s reconstruction — an interpretation of a skeleton, since colour and soft tissue are almost never preserved.

On record

Recorded, not inferred
Also called
venus clamPBDB
Sits inside
VeneroideaPBDB
Diet
suspension feederPBDB
Life habit
infaunalPBDB
Motility
facultatively mobilePBDB
Vision
blindPBDB, for Bivalvia

Time the record covers

At least 335 million years on record.

The record covers at least 335.9 Mya to 11.7 ka. No occurrence read is dated outside 339.9 Mya to 0 Mya.

Carboniferous — about 1 of 12000 occurrencesCarboniferousPermian — about 0 of 12000 occurrencesEarly Triassic — about 0 of 12000 occurrencesMiddle Triassic — about 1 of 12000 occurrencesLate Triassic — about 7 of 12000 occurrencesLate TriassicEarly Jurassic — about 1 of 12000 occurrencesMiddle Jurassic — about 2 of 12000 occurrencesLate Jurassic — about 5 of 12000 occurrencesEarly Cretaceous — about 238 of 12000 occurrencesEarly CretaceousLate Cretaceous — about 1527 of 12000 occurrencesLate CretaceousPaleocene — about 404 of 12000 occurrencesEocene — about 1715 of 12000 occurrencesOligocene — about 902 of 12000 occurrencesMiocene — about 3589 of 12000 occurrencesPliocene — about 1399 of 12000 occurrencesPleistocene — about 2076 of 12000 occurrences347–335 Mya — about 1 occurrence254–243 Mya — about 0.8 occurrences243–231 Mya — about 1.0 occurrences231–220 Mya — about 0.7 occurrences220–208 Mya — about 0.3 occurrences208–196 Mya — about 5 occurrences185–173 Mya — about 1 occurrence173–162 Mya — about 2 occurrences162–150 Mya — about 4 occurrences150–139 Mya — about 3 occurrences139–127 Mya — about 45 occurrences127–116 Mya — about 58 occurrences116–104 Mya — about 96 occurrences104–92 Mya — about 261 occurrences92–81 Mya — about 246 occurrences81–69 Mya — about 616 occurrences69–58 Mya — about 769 occurrences58–46 Mya — about 546 occurrences46–35 Mya — about 1174 occurrences35–23 Mya — about 967 occurrences23–12 Mya — about 2286 occurrences12–0 Mya — about 4917 occurrences335.9 Mya11.7 ka347 Mya0 Mya

12,000+ occurrences of Veneridae on record. The Paleobiology Database records this as a living group. Bar height is expected occurrences, not a count: each fossil is spread across the span it is dated to, so a tall narrow bar means tight dating and a low wide one means loose.

When

12,000 occurrences read

These are dates about fossils, not the animal: the record can only begin after it arose and end before it died out, so either end may reach further. Shares are expected occurrences: a fossil dated to a span is counted partly in each period it straddles. The read hit its cap, so every figure above is a floor and the shares are of the occurrences read. More on what this infers.

Found in

at least 936 formations

Gatun — 9.35°N, 79.81°WGatun — 9.35°N, 79.82°WGatun — 9.04°N, 80.65°WGatun — 9.35°N, 79.85°WGatun — 9.33°N, 79.90°WGatun — 9.17°N, 80.00°WGatun — 9.28°N, 79.97°WProvidence — 31.91°N, 86.17°WProvidence — 31.87°N, 86.08°WProvidence — 31.97°N, 86.00°WProvidence — 31.86°N, 85.95°WProvidence — 31.92°N, 85.82°WProvidence — 31.89°N, 85.70°WProvidence — 31.95°N, 85.68°WProvidence — 31.92°N, 85.35°WProvidence — 31.84°N, 85.22°WProvidence — 31.78°N, 85.14°WProvidence — 31.75°N, 85.12°WProvidence — 31.80°N, 85.00°WProvidence — 31.89°N, 85.21°WCastilletes — 11.93°N, 71.34°WCastilletes — 11.97°N, 71.29°WCastilletes — 11.88°N, 71.36°WShoal River — 30.72°N, 86.12°WShoal River — 30.72°N, 86.04°WShoal River — 30.63°N, 86.17°WShoal River — 30.62°N, 85.98°WShoal River — 30.69°N, 86.65°WCaloosahatchee — 25.97°N, 81.73°WCaloosahatchee — 25.95°N, 81.36°WCaloosahatchee — 25.91°N, 81.36°WCaloosahatchee — 25.75°N, 81.94°WCaloosahatchee — 26.89°N, 82.01°WCaloosahatchee — 26.77°N, 81.15°WCaloosahatchee — 26.70°N, 80.99°WCaloosahatchee — 26.34°N, 80.86°WCaloosahatchee — 26.96°N, 81.99°WCaloosahatchee — 26.75°N, 80.93°WCaloosahatchee — 26.80°N, 81.37°WCaloosahatchee — 27.77°N, 82.68°WCaloosahatchee — 27.34°N, 82.42°WCaloosahatchee — 26.76°N, 81.46°WCaloosahatchee — 26.96°N, 81.17°WCareaga Sandstone — 34.88°N, 120.51°WCareaga Sandstone — 34.83°N, 120.38°WCareaga Sandstone — 34.90°N, 120.32°WCareaga Sandstone — 34.74°N, 120.41°WCareaga Sandstone — 34.77°N, 120.48°WTemblor — 35.95°N, 120.25°WTemblor — 35.95°N, 120.22°WTemblor — 36.34°N, 120.36°WTemblor — 36.37°N, 120.29°WTemblor — 35.50°N, 119.78°WTemblor — 36.00°N, 120.51°WTemblor — 35.88°N, 120.10°WTemblor — 35.42°N, 119.85°WTemblor — 35.40°N, 119.81°WTemblor — 35.47°N, 119.89°WTemblor — 35.38°N, 120.15°WYorktown — 37.22°N, 76.93°WYorktown — 37.23°N, 76.96°WYorktown — 36.44°N, 77.10°WYorktown — 35.51°N, 77.62°WYorktown — 35.54°N, 77.67°WYorktown — 37.29°N, 77.25°WYorktown — 37.10°N, 76.39°WYorktown — 35.36°N, 76.82°WYorktown — 35.93°N, 77.57°WYorktown — 35.58°N, 77.19°WYorktown — 35.91°N, 77.49°WYorktown — 35.87°N, 77.09°WYorktown — 35.55°N, 77.48°WYorktown — 37.22°N, 76.49°WYorktown — 37.21°N, 77.40°WYorktown — 36.73°N, 76.58°WYorktown — 36.63°N, 76.98°WYorktown — 37.27°N, 76.71°WYorktown — 37.17°N, 76.77°WYorktown — 37.51°N, 77.21°WYorktown — 37.27°N, 76.57°WYorktown — 34.90°N, 78.05°WYorktown — 37.21°N, 76.69°WYorktown — 37.02°N, 76.58°WYorktown — 37.06°N, 76.63°WYorktown — 37.15°N, 76.74°WYorktown — 35.15°N, 77.14°WByram — 32.01°N, 89.38°WByram — 32.18°N, 90.25°WByram — 32.32°N, 90.86°WByram — 32.41°N, 90.84°WChipola — 30.44°N, 85.19°WChipola — 30.57°N, 85.84°WChipola — 30.43°N, 84.98°WChipola — 30.59°N, 84.58°WChipola — 30.06°N, 84.49°WChipola — 30.33°N, 82.76°WChipola — 30.44°N, 84.28°WChipola — 30.47°N, 84.99°WChipola — 30.46°N, 85.16°WChipola — 30.26°N, 85.17°WPalos Verdes Sand — 33.80°N, 118.16°WPalos Verdes Sand — 33.99°N, 118.45°WPalos Verdes Sand — 33.60°N, 117.88°WPalos Verdes Sand — 33.74°N, 118.28°WWaccamaw — 34.56°N, 78.49°WWaccamaw — 34.23°N, 77.94°WWaccamaw — 34.33°N, 78.20°WWaccamaw — 34.50°N, 79.11°WWaccamaw — 34.29°N, 78.51°WWaccamaw — 34.63°N, 78.57°WWaccamaw — 34.21°N, 81.31°WWaccamaw — 33.97°N, 78.39°WWaccamaw — 34.17°N, 78.60°WWaccamaw — 33.86°N, 78.55°WWaccamaw — 33.63°N, 79.16°WWaccamaw — 33.40°N, 79.25°WWaccamaw — 32.98°N, 79.89°WGosport Sand — 31.52°N, 87.90°WGosport Sand — 31.54°N, 87.52°WGosport Sand — 32.68°N, 83.42°WGosport Sand — 31.50°N, 87.80°WGosport Sand — 31.57°N, 87.58°WGosport Sand — 31.53°N, 87.57°WGosport Sand — 31.13°N, 87.93°WChoptank — 38.53°N, 76.52°WChoptank — 38.39°N, 76.57°WChoptank — 38.36°N, 76.48°WChoptank — 38.17°N, 76.80°WChoptank — 38.62°N, 76.12°WChoptank — 38.38°N, 76.38°WJimol — 11.85°N, 71.33°WJimol — 11.94°N, 71.36°WJimol — 11.98°N, 71.31°WJimol — 11.96°N, 71.43°WCulebra — 9.05°N, 79.65°WCulebra — 9.76°N, 79.68°WCulebra — 9.03°N, 79.64°WCulebra — 9.13°N, 79.62°WCulebra — 9.15°N, 79.62°WCook Mountain — 31.29°N, 86.56°WCook Mountain — 31.31°N, 86.48°WCook Mountain — 32.35°N, 92.72°WCook Mountain — 32.32°N, 89.03°WCook Mountain — 32.04°N, 88.73°WCook Mountain — 31.32°N, 95.46°WCook Mountain — 31.40°N, 94.52°WCook Mountain — 30.00°N, 97.16°WCook Mountain — 31.35°N, 93.65°WCook Mountain — 31.35°N, 95.51°WCook Mountain — 31.93°N, 92.64°WCook Mountain — 32.17°N, 88.83°WCook Mountain — 32.32°N, 89.16°WCook Mountain — 31.12°N, 95.90°WCook Mountain — 31.20°N, 95.73°WCook Mountain — 31.25°N, 95.72°WCook Mountain — 29.95°N, 97.14°WCook Mountain — 30.63°N, 96.55°WCook Mountain — 30.63°N, 96.54°WCook Mountain — 30.07°N, 97.08°WPirabas — 0.80°S, 47.13°WPirabas — 1.00°S, 48.00°WPirabas — 1.21°S, 47.16°WPirabas — 1.23°S, 47.40°WPirabas — 0.74°S, 47.32°WPirabas — 0.48°S, 48.17°WPirabas — 1.05°S, 47.16°WPirabas — 0.60°S, 47.31°WPirabas — 1.23°S, 47.34°WPirabas — 2.58°S, 43.38°WPirabas — 2.41°S, 44.42°WPirabas — 1.66°S, 45.37°WPirabas — 2.88°S, 41.67°WPirabas — 3.09°S, 41.78°WMoodys Branch — 32.85°N, 90.41°WMoodys Branch — 32.95°N, 90.17°WMoodys Branch — 32.23°N, 92.15°WMoodys Branch — 32.33°N, 90.15°WMoodys Branch — 31.88°N, 88.69°WMoodys Branch — 31.88°N, 88.32°WMoodys Branch — 31.55°N, 87.58°WMoodys Branch — 32.01°N, 92.00°WMoodys Branch — 31.67°N, 92.89°WMoodys Branch — 33.96°N, 92.19°WMoodys Branch — 35.01°N, 90.79°WMoodys Branch — 31.97°N, 88.53°WMoodys Branch — 32.17°N, 88.83°WMoodys Branch — 32.98°N, 90.30°WHatchetigbee Bluff — 31.58°N, 86.74°WHatchetigbee Bluff — 32.08°N, 88.22°WHatchetigbee Bluff — 31.92°N, 87.97°WHatchetigbee Bluff — 31.45°N, 85.63°WHatchetigbee Bluff — 31.40°N, 85.13°WHatchetigbee Bluff — 31.82°N, 87.37°WHatchetigbee Bluff — 31.07°N, 88.03°WHatchetigbee Bluff — 32.37°N, 88.68°WHatchetigbee Bluff — 31.93°N, 88.05°WHatchetigbee Bluff — 31.35°N, 86.08°WHatchetigbee Bluff — 32.25°N, 88.43°WHatchetigbee Bluff — 31.32°N, 86.00°WHatchetigbee Bluff — 31.96°N, 88.07°WHatchetigbee Bluff — 31.91°N, 87.74°WHatchetigbee Bluff — 31.93°N, 87.75°WHatchetigbee Bluff — 31.53°N, 87.32°WHatchetigbee Bluff — 31.92°N, 87.52°WHatchetigbee Bluff — 31.65°N, 88.08°WHatchetigbee Bluff — 31.61°N, 85.05°WPrairie Bluff — 34.63°N, 88.84°WPrairie Bluff — 34.51°N, 88.92°WPrairie Bluff — 34.25°N, 88.97°WPrairie Bluff — 33.90°N, 88.98°WPrairie Bluff — 33.79°N, 88.97°WPrairie Bluff — 33.79°N, 88.91°WPrairie Bluff — 33.72°N, 88.92°WPrairie Bluff — 33.50°N, 88.81°WPrairie Bluff — 33.38°N, 88.74°WPrairie Bluff — 33.05°N, 88.56°WPrairie Bluff — 34.48°N, 88.98°WPrairie Bluff — 32.73°N, 88.30°WPrairie Bluff — 32.74°N, 88.36°WPrairie Bluff — 32.70°N, 88.17°WPrairie Bluff — 32.61°N, 88.24°WPrairie Bluff — 32.43°N, 88.04°WPrairie Bluff — 32.39°N, 87.92°WPrairie Bluff — 32.23°N, 87.50°WPrairie Bluff — 32.14°N, 87.42°WPrairie Bluff — 32.07°N, 87.33°WPrairie Bluff — 32.05°N, 86.99°WPrairie Bluff — 32.04°N, 86.79°WPrairie Bluff — 31.95°N, 86.70°WPrairie Bluff — 31.98°N, 86.00°WPrairie Bluff — 31.99°N, 85.92°WMare — 10.00°N, 64.00°WMare — 10.00°N, 71.00°WMare — 10.61°N, 63.52°WMare — 10.64°N, 64.11°WTejon — 34.94°N, 118.82°WTejon — 34.99°N, 118.83°WTejon — 34.96°N, 118.87°WTejon — 34.91°N, 118.99°WTejon — 34.92°N, 119.25°WTejon — 34.89°N, 119.14°WTejon — 35.00°N, 119.00°WTejon — 34.93°N, 118.87°WLefipán — 42.67°S, 69.98°WLefipán — 42.69°S, 69.84°WLefipán — 42.77°S, 69.85°W

Loading coastlines…

The named rock units Veneridae has been recovered from, largest first. Drawn where the rock is now, not where it formed. The read hit its cap, so each count is a floor. 912 further formations hold fewer occurrences each and are not listed. 2,199 occurrences have no formation on record, which is common for older literature.

Found in the same rock

1,803 taxa

The Paleobiology Database records at least 979 sites for Veneridae, and this reads 240 of them. Of that, one read hit the database's own return limit, so every count below is a floor rather than a total. The number is how many of those sites it was catalogued from too. The 24 sharing the most are listed.

This is not a list of everything alive at the time. It is only what has come out of the same ground as this animal and been written down.

Entered from

at least 1,001 references

Each of the 12,000 occurrences read was entered from one of these publications, ordered by how many each accounts for. This is not a search for papers mentioning the name. That read hit its cap, so each count is a floor. 989 further references are not listed. Entries link to doi.org where the Paleobiology Database holds an identifier, and to its own record where it does not. Relayed as the Paleobiology Database holds them, not checked against what they resolve to.

Media and terms

Media content2

Picture of Veneridae

Credit
Hans Hillewaert
Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0
Commercial use
the licence allows it

3D model

Source
Sketchfab
Licence
CC0 Public Domain
Commercial use
the licence allows it

Smithsonian Open Access and MorphoSource were not reached for this taxon, so this list is what the others held rather than everything there is.

The description on this site

Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0

This is what the site found, which is not the same as what exists.

Keep going

What may have been alongside itVeneroidea through timeThe world it lived on

Occurrence data from the Paleobiology Database, CC BY 4.0. Rafinesque 1815