Family Gastrochaenidae

Shell size to 18 mm ; shell very thin, oval, inflated. Posterior extremity rounded. Antero-dorsal extremity widely open, gaping. Umbo in anterior position. Color translucent-white. Individuals of Rocellaria stimpsoni bore into calcareous substrates such as coral and shells, where they form bottle-shaped dwellings lined with calcium carbonate. The siphonal tubes in the dwellings are ornamented internally with prongs and carinae. Found locally in, among other structures, valves of Noetia ponderosa, Arcinella cornuta, Chama spp., other bivalves, and occasionally in gastropod shells. In some extreme cases, the bivalve will form dwellings independent of a host structure, agglutinating small bits of shells and other debris (see two photos on right, specimen collected by Amy Tripp.)

Shell size to 15 mm; shell thin, oval, inflated. Posterior extremity rounded. Antero-dorsal extremity widely open, gaping, higher than in Rocellaria stimpsoni. Umbo in anterior position, but not as anterior as in R. stimpsoni. Sculpture of commarginal cords. Most anterior part of valve represented by a wing-like projection of its ventral margin. Color translucent cream- to yellowish-white. The Winged Chimney Clam is a boring clam that spends its life lodged into the structure of empty shells or corals. The elegant shell of this species is very fragile and will not be found outside of its host structure. A young Winged Chimney Clam will settle onto a shell (or coral) and begin the boring process right away. Boring is done chemically, not mechanically. As its close relative, the Stimpson Chimney Clam, does, when its size eventually surpasses the thickness of the host shell, completely piercing it from side to side, the Winged Chimney Clam is capable of building a "dwelling" of mucus and sand and broken shell particles for its protection. The shell (paired valves) illustrated was collected by Dr. Jim Scatterday inside the hard colony of a moss animal (Bryozoa), on Gulfside City Park, on Sanibel.