# Codakia orbicularis

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***Codakia orbicularis*** , or the **tiger lucine**,[1] is a species of [bivalve](/source/Bivalve) [mollusc](/source/Mollusc) in the [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) [Lucinidae](/source/Lucinidae). It can be found along the Atlantic coast of North America, ranging from [Florida](/source/Florida) to the [West Indies](/source/West_Indies).[2]

## Description

*Codakia orbicularis* grows to maximum length of about 85 mm (3.3 in). The [shell valves](/source/Bivalve_shell) are nearly circular, the outer surface being sculptured with fine concentric rings and closely-packed radial lines. The [lunule](/source/Lunule_(bivalve)), a depressed area near the hinge, is heart-shaped, with the right valve lunule being larger than the left. The [periostracum](/source/Periostracum), a thin outside layer, is brown and the valves are mainly white; there is often a pinkish tinge near the interior margin. The shell is more laterally compressed than the smaller dwarf tiger lucine (*[Ctena orbiculata](/source/Ctena_orbiculata)*).[3] Like other members of its family [Lucinidae](/source/Lucinidae), *Codakia orbicularis* does not have an inhalant siphon, instead rolling its elongated foot into a mucus-lined tube and drawing water into the gill cavity through this. It does have an exhalant siphon which is formed from a highly extensible mantle flap and can be inverted and drawn back into the shell.[4] The gill cavity contains [chemosymbiotic](/source/Symbiosis) sulphur-oxidizing bacteria housed in [bacteriocytes](/source/Bacteriocyte) which contribute to the clam's nutritional requirements.[5][6]

## Distribution and habitat

*Codakia orbicularis* is native to the western Atlantic Ocean where its range includes from [Florida](/source/Florida) and the northern coast of the [Caribbean Sea](/source/Caribbean_Sea). It lives immersed in soft sediment on the seabed, typically in *[Thalassia testudinum](/source/Thalassia_testudinum)* seagrass beds. Its maximum depth is 93 m (305 ft).[1] The bacterial symbionts enable these burrowing bivalves to colonise sulfide-rich sediments with low oxygen levels that are unsuited to many other bivalves.[7]

## Ecology

*Codakia orbicularis* is a large edible shellfish and its life cycle has been studied to see whether it is suitable for [mariculture](/source/Mariculture). In the Bahamas, spawning takes place between May and October. The large-yolked eggs are enclosed in a thick gelatinous membrane and the early developmental stages take place inside this capsule. The later stages of the [veliger](/source/Veliger) larva are [planktonic](/source/Plankton) and [metamorphosis](/source/Metamorphosis) occurs about 16 days after fertilisation. During their growth and development, the larvae may obtain nutrition from the [symbiotic](/source/Symbiosis) chemosynthetic bacteria present in their tissues.[8]

## References

1. Tunnell, John Wesley (2010). [*Encyclopedia of Texas Seashells: Identification, Ecology, Distribution, and History*](https://books.google.com/books?id=PIkC-rU2NkoC&pg=PA425). Texas A&M University Press. p. 425. ISBN 978-1-60344-337-1.

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. 52.

1. Leal, J.H. ["*Codakia orbicularis* (Linnaeus, 1758)"](https://catalog.shellmuseum.org/shells/southwest-florida-shells/codakia-orbicularis). *Southwest Florida Shells*. Retrieved 26 December 2020.

1. Barnes, P.A.G. ["Eco-physiology of the endosymbiont-bearing lucinid bivalve *Codakia orbiculata*"](https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/handle/10026.1/1081). Retrieved 23 December 2020.

1. Frenkiel, L. & Mouëza, M. (1995). "Gill ultrastructure and symbiotic bacteria in *Codakia orbicularis* (Bivalvia, Lucinidae)". *Zoomorphology*. **115**: 53–61. [doi:10.1007/BF00397934](https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00397934). [S2CID 23223958](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:23223958)

1. Taylor, John D. & Glover, Emily A. (2000). "Functional anatomy, chemosymbiosis and evolution of the Lucinidae". *Geological Society, London, Special Publications*. **177**: 207–225. [doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.2000.177.01.12](https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2000.177.01.12). [S2CID 129806177](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:129806177)

1. van der Heide, Tjisse; Govers, Laura L.; Fouw, Jimmy de; Olff, Han; van der Geest, Matthijs; van Katwijk, Marieke M.; Piersma, Theunis; van de Koppel, Johan; Silliman, Brian R. et al. (2012-06-15). ["A three-stage symbiosis forms the foundation of seagrass ecosystems"](https://www.rug.nl/research/portal/en/publications/a-threestage-symbiosis-forms-the-foundation-of-seagrass-ecosystems(23625acb-7ec0-4480-98d7-fad737d7d4fe).html). *Science*. **336** (6087): 1432–1434. [Bibcode:2012Sci...336.1432V](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012Sci...336.1432V). [doi:10.1126/science.1219973](https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1219973). [hdl:11370/23625acb-7ec0-4480-98d7-fad737d7d4fe](https://hdl.handle.net/11370/23625acb-7ec0-4480-98d7-fad737d7d4fe). [ISSN 0036-8075](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0036-8075). [PMID 22700927](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22700927). [S2CID 27806510](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:27806510)

1. Alatalo, Philip; Berg, Carl J. Jr.; & D'Asaro, Charles N. (1984). ["Reproduction and development in the lucinid clam *Codakia orbicularis*"](https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/umrsmas/bullmar/1984/00000034/00000003/art00009). *Bulletin of Marine Science*. **34** (3): 424–434.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Codakia orbicularis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codakia_orbicularis) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codakia_orbicularis?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.