Bivalves · Cardiida · Donacidae

Truncate Donax

Donax trunculus

Not Evaluated

It has not yet been assessed against the IUCN criteria. See full glossary

The truncate donax is an acephalous bivalve mollusc of the family Donacidae.

Size

up to 4.5 cm

Lifespan

3 years

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Unknown

Fun facts

GeneralIt is gathered by hand with a rake in the surf itself.
It moves with the tides: it lets the wave carry it, reburies itself, and in that way follows the water level through the day.
Its shell varies so much in colour and pattern that two individuals from the same beach can look like different species.
It follows the tide. Wedge clams let the wave carry them, rebury themselves within seconds and so move up and down the beach with the tide, a technique known as swash-riding.
That calls for extremely fast digging: it is among the quickest burrowing bivalves, and individuals between 0.5 and 2.5 cm are the fastest of all.
It senses wave vibrations to know when to emerge. Related species respond to pressure signals of barely 20 pascals.
In Spain it is the basis of the famous coquinas of Huelva and of the stews of the Cádiz coast.
As a filter feeder of the surf zone it accumulates viruses and toxins, and it has been implicated in outbreaks of hepatitis A.