Strange Clams

A few commercial harvesters have found a clam in West Bath that looks similar to a soft-shell clam but definitely is not. A bivalve with thin white shells about 2" in length and a slightly tapered siphon, that when extended, is about 5" long, this clam is an Atlantic Mud-piddock (Barnea truncata). Also known as a Fallen Angel Wing or Truncate Borer, this clam is more common in New York and New Jersey. A boring clam related to the False Angel Wing, its normal habitat is within peat or clay. Its occurrence may be signaling a seawater warming trend; diggers are also reporting seeing more quahogs, which prefer warmer waters.

Phippsburg harvesters have found a clam that they have never seen before. It looks like a short and fat razor clam and once keyed out was found to be, unsurprisingly, a Stout Razor Clam (Tagelus plebeius). It normal occurrence is Cape Cod to the Gulf of Mexico.