Folks,

Here's an ID question for those familiar with Indo-Pacific bivalves.

I found a live specimen in about 10 feet of water in the Phuket Sea that is
like a subglobular rock. It measures over 10 cm in length, 9 cm in width and
8 cm in thickness across the two valves.

The thick valves are riddled with sponge and Lithophaga holes and lacks much
remaining original character on the exterior, although there's some reddish
radial coloration. There are a few short small spines along the ventral
margin. The interior is grayish green and white with a reddish wrinkled
fringe along the margin. The hinge has thick interlocking teeth. (Whoops! I
broke the teeth off in trying to open the valves).

So my question is whether I have a very coarse Spondylus or is there coarse,
irregular species or genus in Southeast Asia similar to Hinnites (eastern
Pacific, only?).

David Kirsh
Durham, NC