Thanks, again, for the help.

Below is my latest (and, probably, last) venture into the 'World of Clams.' I
went back to the stream this evening to pick up a live specimen for a snapshot,
to cinch the identification. It took about twenty minutes to get one, but I
found other mollusc-related things and a few neat stones, as well.

The largest shell is empty, is still joined at the hinge and is 3.75 inches
across.  (http://cowrys.org/~makuabob/jpgs/big_clam.jpg)

The live clam is about 0.6 inch across. I somehow managed to capture several
aspects of the soft parts. (http://cowrys.org/~makuabob/jpgs/clam.jpg)

The single valves and the snail shell can be sized by the valve which has its
inside visible; it too is 0.6 inch across.
(http://cowrys.org/~makuabob/jpgs/stuffs.jpg)

I doubt that there are any surprises coming out of this creek, except, perhaps,
that Belted Kingfisher I saw last year!

Aloha,

Bob Dayle

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> Sounds too big for a sphaeriid (fingernail clam).  If the "growth
> rings" were regular concentric sculpture, then you had Corbicula.
> Despite most of the literature, the main species of Corbicula invading
> the U.S. is probably C. leana.  A second species is known only from
> the southwest (also invading Europe and South America), which may be
> true fluminea (of which manilensis is a synonym).
>
> Unionids may show bands of color or weak irregular growth lines, but
> no regular concentric sculpture in our species.
>
> As sculpture rather than growth rings, they form fairly quickly and
> without direct connection to environmental factors.  Tiny juveniles
> already have several concentric ribs.
>
> Corbicula range from oval (not very elongate) to nearly triangular in
> some large old individuals in lakes.  Most unionids are more
> elongate.
>
> --
> Dr. David Campbell
> 425 Scientific Collections Building
> Department of Biological Sciences
> Biodiversity and Systematics
> University of Alabama, Box 870345
> Tuscaloosa AL 35487-0345  USA
>
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