Meretrix lyrata, the lyrate Asiatic hard clam, also known simply as the hard clam (Vietnamese: Nghêu Bến Tre), is an edible saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Veneridae, the Venus clams.
| Lyrate asiatic hard clam | |
|---|---|
| |
| A whole shell of Meretrix lyrata showing both the outside and the inside | |
| |
| Live Meretrix lyrata for sale as sea food in a market in Haikou City, Hainan Province, China | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Venerida |
| Superfamily: | Veneroidea |
| Family: | Veneridae |
| Genus: | Meretrix |
| Species: | M. lyrata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Meretrix lyrata (Sowerby, 1851)
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Cytherea lyrata Sowerby, 1851 | |
This species occurs along the coasts of Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo) and South China.[1]
Right and left valve of the same specimen:
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Right valve -
Left valve
Culinary use
editIn Vietnam, these hard clams are eaten boiled, steamed or roasted. They are an important export in the eastern and southern parts of Vietnam.[2]
References
edit- ^ Idris, Mohd Hanafi; Abu Hena, Mustafa Kamal; Hamli, Hadi; Rajaee, Amy; Al-Asif, Abdulla- (16 December 2022). "The molecular approach reveals the relationship among Venus clams (Meretrix spp.) community in Malaysia". Biotropia. 29 (3): 213–224. doi:10.11598/btb.2022.29.3.1583.
- ^ "BIVALVES". Archived from the original on 2006-10-04. Fisheries Informatic Center, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam. Retrieved May 25, 2008.
- Reid, Shannon (2003). "Meretrix lyrata (Sowerby, 1851)". OBIS Indo-Pacific Molluscan Database, Academy of Natural Sciences.
- "NCBI".
- "AGROVOC Thesaurus".