Lima lima

Lima lima, or the spiny fileclam, is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Limidae.

Description

The shell of an adult Lima lima can be as long as . The surface of the valves show 18–24 strong ribs covered with small scales. These clams are filter feeders.

<div align=center> Right and left valve of the same specimen:

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Distribution and habitat

This species can be found in the Mediterranean Sea, in the Eastern Atlantic and in Caribbean waters, ranging from southern Florida to the West Indies and Bermuda. It lives on rocky bottoms and coral, usually in the seagrass prairies of Posidonia oceanica, at depths of 0 to .

References

Further reading

• Abbott, R.T. & Morris, P.A. A Field Guide to Shells: Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and the West Indies. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1995. 32.
• Egidio Trainito; Mauro Doneddu, Conchiglie del Mediterraneo, 2005ª ed., Milano, Il Castello, 2005.

External links

• WoRMS
• PESI
• Malakos