Southwest Florida Shells

by José H. Leal

Family Glycymerididae

Tucetona pectinata

(Gmelin, 1791)

Comb Bittersweet

Shell size to 30 mm; shell circular, compressed. Sculpture of 20-35 ribs flat in cross-section. Ribs wider toward middle of shell, interspaces much narrower than ribs. Hinge teeth about 10 on each side. Color variable, white to grayish-white with irregular brown streaks of variable intensities. Bittersweet clams (family Glycymerididae) have numerous, simple eyes that resemble those in insects. They can be seen as tiny dark dots along the mantle edges of the clam in the supplementary photo, which was taken by Amy Tripp in March, 2016 on Kice Island, Collier County, Florida.