Elegant Chione Clam Shell, Chione compta

Elegant Chione Clam Shell, Chione compta.  Shell provided by the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, August 2018. Size: 4.1 cm (1.6 inches) x 3.7 cm (1.4 inches). Identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

Elegant Chione Clam Shell, Chione compta.  Shell provided by the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, August 2018. Size: 4.1 cm (1.6 inches) x 3.7 cm (1.4 inches). Identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

Elegant Chione Clam Shell, Chione compta. Shell collected off the beach at Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur, December 2021. Size: 4.1 cm (1.6 inches) x 3.7 cm (1.4 inches). Collection, photograph and Identification courtesy of Colin Campbell, DVM, Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur.

The Elegant Chione, Chione compta (Broderip, 1835), is a bivalve mollusk that is a member of the Veneridae Family of Venus Clams. They are also known as the Adorned Chione and in Mexico as venus blanca. The shell has a round triangular profile and is fairly thick and moderately inflated and the exterior is sculpted with high, thin, concentric ridges and very fine radial ribs. The exterior is white in color, often with brown chevrons or markings and the interior is white. The interior margin is serrate. The Elegant Chione shell reach a maximum of 5.0 cm (2.0 inches) in length and 4.5 cm (1.8 inches) in height.

The Elegant Chione is found within sand and mud substrate from intertidally to depths up to of 110 m (360 feet). They are found south to Peru, including the Galapagos Islands, and in the Sea of Cortez from Bahía Concepción to the Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur.

Synonyms include Chione meridionalis and Venus compta.