About Acanthocardia aculeata (Linnaeus, 1758)
The shell of the bivalve species Acanthocardia aculeata (Linnaeus, 1758) grows between 50 and 115 millimeters. The shell is robust, broadly oval, and has a heart-shaped profile. It is equivalve, inflated, and has crenulated margins. The shell surface has 20 to 22 prominent radial ribs that bear rows of sharp spines, most prominent along the sides. The basic external color is typically pale brown, while the shell interior is white with grooves that run all through the inner surface. Acanthocardia aculeata occurs in the Mediterranean Sea and the Northeast Atlantic. It lives in sublittoral muddy sandy substrates, and these mollusks feed on phytoplankton.
