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.
Phylogeny: The Elegant Chione, Chione compta (Broderip, 1835), is a bivalve mollusk that is a member of the Veneridae Family of Venus Clam Shells. The genus Chione is one of one hundred seven genera in this family, and there are eleven species in this genus. They are also known as the Adorned Chione and the Small-banded Venus and in Mexico as Venus Blanca.
Description: The Elegant Chione shell has a trigonal profile, is fairly thick, and moderately inflated. 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. The interior is white. The interior margin is serrate. Elegant Chione shells reach a maximum of 5.0 cm (2.0 inches) in length and 4.5 cm (1.8 inches) in height.
Habitat and Distribution: The Elegant Chione is found within sand and mud substrates, from the intertidal zone to depths up to 110 m (360 feet). They are a subtropical to tropical Eastern Pacific species that in Mexican waters are found from Bahía Concepción, Baja California Sur, to Guatemala. They are absent from the west coast of the Baja Peninsula.
Ecology and Behavior: Elegant Chiones are suspension feeders that feed primarily on planktonic algae and suspended organic matter. They are gonochoric and reproduce sexually, through broadcast spawning, with external fertilization. There is no mention in the available literature of them engaging in any types of parasitic, commensal, or symbiotic relationships. Elegant Chiones are edible and targeted by artisanal and commercial fisheries. From a conservation perspective they have not been formally evaluated however they are fairly common with a relatively wide distribution and should be consider to be of Least Concern.
Synonyms: Chione meridionalis and Venus compta.