Scaly Cockle Shell, Trachycardium consors

Scaly Cockle Shell, Trachycardium consors. Shell collected off the beach at Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur, December 2025. Size: 3.6 cm (1.4 inches) x 3.2 cm (1.3 inches) x 1.6 cm (0.6  inches). Collection, Photographs and Identifications courtesy of Colin Campbell, DVM, Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur.

Scaly Cockle Shell, Trachycardium consors. Shell collected off the beach at Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur, December 2021. Size: 5.3 cm (2.1 inches) x 6.0 cm (2.4 inches). Collection courtesy of Kathy Farley, Punta Chivato. Photograph and Identifications courtesy of Colin Campbell, DVM, Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur.

Scaly Cockle Shell, Trachycardium consors. Size: 8.4 cm (3.3 inches) x 6.8 cm (2.7 inches). Shell collected off the beach of Bahía Concepción, Baja California Sur, July 2005. Shell collection, photograph and identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

Scaly Cockle Shell, Trachycardium consors. Size: 8.4 cm (3.3 inches) x 6.8 cm (2.7 inches).  Shell collected in the along the coast of Bahía Concepción, Baja California Sur, March 2015. Collection, photograph and identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

Phylogeny: The Scaly Cockle Shell, Trachycardium consors (G.B. Sowerby I, 1833), is a bivalve mollusk that is a member of the Cardiidae Family of Cockles and True Cockle Shells. The genus Trachycardium is one of forty-nine genera in this family, and there are three species in this genus. They are also known as the Heart Cockle Shell, the Partner Cockle Shell, and the Prickly Cockle Shell and in Mexico as Berberecho Consorte and Berberecho Espinoso .

Description: Scaly Cockle Shells are inflated, sturdy, and equivalve shells. They are higher than they are long. They are sculpted with 30-34 deep, radiating ribs. The ribs are covered with overlapping scales that are more noticeable at both ends. Their exteriors may be buff, brown, or yellow, with darker brown bands or blotches; the inside is white with a pink to orange wash. Scaly Cockle Shells reach a maximum of 8.4 cm (3.3 inches) in length and 6.8 cm (2.7 inches) in height.

Habitat and Distribution: Scaly Cockles are found in sand and mud substrates. They live in the intertidal zone, and to depths of 90 m (295 feet). They are a subtropical to tropical Eastern Pacific species that are found in all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean with the exception that they are absent from the west coast of the Baja Peninsula.

Ecology and Behavior: Scaly Cockles are suspension feeders that feed primarily on plankton and other suspended organic matter. They are gonochoric and reproduce sexually, through broadcast spawning, with external fertilization.  Their engagement in any type of commensal, parasitic, or symbiotic relationship has not been formally documented. From a conservation perspective the Scaly Cockle has not been formally evaluated. However, they are fairly common with a relatively wide distribution and should be consider to be of Least Concern.

Synonyms: Cardium (Trachycardium) consors, Cardium (Trachycardium) consors var. laxum, Cardium consors, Cardium consors var. laxum, Cardium laxum, and Trachycardium (Trachycardium) consors.