Today's article is very interesting, so you guys need read it until the end of the article.
So the choosen creature for this week is............
[ ANADARA GRANOSA ]
Most of us will not recognize when we say Anadara Granosa. Most of Malaysians know it as 'Kerang' or cockle. Anadara Granosa ( Tegillarca Granosa) is a scientific name for 'Kerang'. It is a species of ark clam known as the blood cockle or blood clam due to the red haemoglobin liquid inside the soft tissues. It has a high economci value as food and it is kept in aquaculture.
| Scientific classification | |
|---|---|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Subclass: | Pteriomorphia |
| Order: | Arcoida |
| Family: | Arcidae |
| Genus: | Tegillarca |
This is the cross sectional diagram of Anadara Granosa.
Adductor Muscle : Close the valvesMantle : Secrete shell, sensory function, initiate closure according to surrounding, control inflow of water, respiratory function
Gills : Respiration and partly food filtering
Labials Palp : Select and direct food to the mouth
Excurrent siphon : Water is pump out of the shell after passing across the gils (dorsal part)
Incurrent siphon : Water is drawn into the shell and across the gills.
Anadara Granosa can be grow to maximun shell length to 9cm, however the common size is only 6cm. This represents the most important commercial ark. Lives in intertidal and shallow subtidal waters. On muddy bottoms, mainly in protected bays and estuaries, or in mangroves. Often occurring in dense populations. Typically found in the intertidal with silty bottoms with low salinity. A filter-feeder and a shallow burrower. Primarily feeds on organic detritus, phytoplankton and detritus . Members of the class Bivalvia are mostly gonochoric, some are protandric hermaphrodites. Life cycle: Embryos develop into free-swimming trocophore larvae, succeeded by the bivalve veliger, resembling a miniature clam .
