Golden Callista Shell, Megapitaria aurantiaca

Golden Callista Shell, Megapitaria aurantiaca. Shell collected off the beach at Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur, January 2023. Size: 9.7 cm (3.8 inches) x 8.7 cm (3.4 inches) x 3.3 cm (1.3 inches). Collection, photographs and identifications courtesy of Colin Campbell, DVM, Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur.

Golden Callista Shell, Megapitaria aurantiaca. Shell collected off the beach at Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur, January 2023. Size: 10.6 cm (4.1 inches) x 10.0 cm (3.9 inches) x 7.0 cm (2.8 inches). Collection, photographs and identifications courtesy of Colin Campbell, DVM, Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur.

The Golden Callista Clam, Megapitaria aurantiaca (G.B. Sowerby I, 1831), is a bivalve mollusk of the Veneridae Family of Venus Clams. They are also known as the Golden Clam and the Golden Callista and in Mexico as almeja reina roja. The shell is thick and solid, with a subovate outline. The anterior end of the shell is short and evenly rounded; the posterior end is longer and more sharply rounded. The shell is very inflated. The external surface has very fine commarginal lines or may appear smooth. The exterior color of the shell may be pink, pinkish-brown, pinkish-gray, cream, or orange. Some specimens have dark colored chevrons. The periostracum is thick, and brown to burnt orange in color. The interior is white, often with purple at the hinge plate. Golden Clams reach 12.8 cm (5.0 inches) in length and 12.1 cm (4.8 inches) in height.

Golden Clams are found buried in sand, from the subtidal zone to a depth of 30 m (98 feet). They range from Guerrero Negro, Baja California to Peru and are found throughout the entire Gulf of California.

Synonyms for this species include: Callista aurantiaca, Cytherea aurantiaca, and Cytherea livida.