Jewel Box Shells of the Chamidae Family

Four Jewel Box Shells of the Chamidae Family can be found in this website:

Phylogeny: Jewel Box Shells of the Chamidae Family are bivalve mollusks in the Venerida order. The superfamily Chamoidea is one of eight superfamilies in this order. The Chamidae Family is the only family in superfamily Chamoidea. There are no subfamilies in the Chamidae Family, but there are six genera containing sixty-nine species. Shells in the Chamidae Family are also commonly known as Rock Oysters.

Description: Jewel Box Shells are small to medium-sized, robust, shells They are irregularly round in outline and inequivalve (both valves unequal in size and shape). The lower valve is usually bigger and more deeply convex than the upper valve which is flatter, sometimes like a lid for the lower valve. They may attach to the substrate by either valve. They have thick shells with radial or commarginal scales that can grow to become spines. They are oyster-like, in that they are irregular in shape and they cement themselves to solid substrate for at least a portion of their lives. The hinge is thick and arched, and the interior is porcelaneous. The largest species in the Chamidae Family is 11.5 cm (4.5 inches) in diameter.

Habitat and Distribution: Jewel Box Shells are found attached to hard surfaces such as rock, coral or concrete. They live in the intertidal zone, and at depths up to 525 m (1,722 feet). They are found worldwide in subtropical to tropical seas, preferring clear waters. There are seventeen species of the Chamidae Family are found in Mexican waters.

Natural History: Jewel Box Shells are suspension feeders, filtering suspended plankton from the surrounding water. In turn they are preyed upon by carnivorous mollusks and sea stars. They are gonochoric and reproduce sexually by broadcast spawning.  They are often colonized by epibionts and boring organisms. They are edible but are primarily targeted only by subsistence fisheries. The more brightly colored and more spinous shells from this family are sought by shell collectors.