Ponderous Ark or White Miniature Ark
(Noetia ponderosa)
2 1/2" (6 cm.)

 

Incongruous Ark
( Anadara brasiliana)
2" (5 cms.)

 

Giant Bittersweet Clam
(Glycymeris americana)
4 1/2" (11 cm.)

Common Blue Mussel
(Mytilus Edulis)
4" (10 cm.)

 

Saw-toothed Pen Shell
Atrina serrata
6-12" (15.2-30.5 cm)

NOTE: The byssus threads of the stiff pen shell which anchor the shell may actually have been the material used by ancient Greeks to make their fine silken gloves and accessories. When these fibers are washed and brushed they are very soft and silky.

 

Japanese Moon Scallop
(Amusium japonicum)
4" (10 cm.)

 

 

 

Noble Pecten
(Chlamys noblis)
3 - 5" (7 -12.5cm)

 

Calico Scallop
(Argopecten gibbus )
2.5" (6 cm.)

 

Atlantic Bay Scallop
Argopecten irradians
4" (10 cm.)

 

Atlantic Thorny Oyster
(Spondylus americanus)
5 - 8" (12.5 - 20 cms.)

 

 

 

Jingle Shell
Windowpane Oyster or Capiz Shells
(Placuna placenta)
NOTE: these shells are named for the jingle sound they make when they are shaken together. They are quite fragile; therefore, it is hard to find a whole shell. Nevertheless, they are fairly common. These thin translucent bivalves have a lower valve flat, upper valve convex protecting its edible and delicious flesh. Normally shapes are almost round with surface smooth. At one time they were used in place of glass.
4" (10 cms.)

 

Giant Pacific oyster
(Crassostrea gigas)
NOTE: This oyster accounts for about 15 percent of the total world production for oyster consumption
6" (15 cms.)

 

Tiger Lucine
(Codakia orbicularis)
5" (12.5 cm.)

 

Spiny Lima
( Lima lima)
1.5" (4 cm.)

 

Rathbun's Giant Lima
(Acesta rathbuni)
NOTE: this shell fluoresces under UV light and is often translucent enough to see through the shell and or bubbles within the shell valves
6" (15 cms.)

 

Lazarus Jewel Box
(Chama lazarus)
4" (10 cm.)

 

Prickly Cockle
(Trachycardium egmontianum)
2" (5 cm.)

 

Yellow Prickly Cockle
Trachycardium muricatum
1 1/4-2 1/2" (3.2-6.4 cm)

 

Strawberry Cockle
(Fragum unedo)
1.5" (4 cm.)

 

Heart Cockle
(Corculum cardissa)
3" (7.5 cm.)

 

Fluted Giant Clam
(Tridacna squamosa)
3 - 12" (7 - 50 cms.)

 

Calico Clam
(macrocallista maculata)
2" (5 cm.)

 

Atlantic Jackknife Clam
(Ensis directus)
7" (17.5 cm.)

 

Sunrise Tellin
(Tellina radiata )
3" (7.5 cm.)

 

Rose Petal Tellin
( Tellina lineata)
NOTE: used a lot in shell crafts
1.5" (3.5 cm.)

 

Sunray Venus
(Macrocallista nimbosa)
5" (12 cm.)

 

Atlantic Cocquinas
(Donax variabilis)
0.5" (1.25 cm.)

 

Lettered Clam
(Lioconcha hieroglyphica)
1.5" (3.5 cm.)

 

Northern Quahog
(Hard-shelled Clam or the Littleneck Clam)
(Mercenaria mercenaria)
2 3/4-4 1/4" (7-10.8 cm)

 

Common Pacific or Native Littleneck Clam
(Protothaca staminea)
1 1/2-2 3/8" (3.8-6 cm)

 

Manilla Clam
(Tapes philippinarum)
3.5" (9 cm.)

 

Angel Wings
(Cyrtopleura costata)
NOTE: there is a third small shell piece called a "spoon". This projection is the point where the Angel Wing's foot muscle attaches to the shell.
6" (15 cm.)

 

 

 

Shipworms
(Teredo navalis)

NOTE: Shipworms are not a worm at all, but a greatly elongated clam . Its two shells, enclosing only the front end of the body, function as a tool, rather than a protective covering; their ridged and roughened surfaces are used for boring. They are actually a boring clam. Christened by mariners, "termites of the sea," shipworms are parasitic mollusks that thrive in and upon submerged wooden structures, including pilings, bulkheads and the untreated hulls of boats. They are quite destructive and have actually sunk many a wooden ship of old. As they tunne and eat the wood, their tunnel diameter actually increase in diameter due to their growth.

4 - 6" (10-15 cm) in length,
10 mm in diameter (It has been known to achieve a length of up to 2 ft (60 cm) long, although its shells remain only 12in. (12 mm) long. )

 

Many clam, oyster and other bivalve shells are commercially polished for mother-of-pearl inlay for use in woodwork, crafts or made into such items as fishing lures and jewelry