Venus (bivalve)

The genus Venus is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and sexuality. ==Taxonomy==

However, some bivalves are still called Venus clams because they used to be in the genus Venus, though they are now placed in other genera: these include the species within the genus Mercenaria, and Pitar dione, the Venus shell described in sexual terms by Linnaeus. ==Fossil records==

The genus is known from the Cretaceous to the recent periods (age range: from 136.4 Mya to now). Fossils shells have been found all over the world. About 20 extinct species are known. ==The family Veneridae==

The family Veneridae contains over 400 known species, many of which are attractive and popular with shell-collectors. The shells of venerids vary in shape, and include shells that are circular, triangular, and rectangular. Characteristically, Venus clams possess a porcelain-like inner shell layer, a complex tooth structure in the hinge, well-developed escutcheon and lunule, and a well-developed pallial sinus. Veneridae colonize the sandy ocean bottom, and their populations are often dense and large. The Veneroida order typically has a folded gill structure which is well developed for filtering out small food particles. ==Common name==

's 1771 drawing of the elegant Venus clam, which he had named "Venus dione" The common names of clams in this genus often include the name Venus. A few species that still have "Venus" as part of their common name, but which are no longer in the genus Venus are: • Sunray Venus, Macrocallista nimbosa (Lightfoot) • Cross-barred Venus, Chione cancellata (Linnaeus) • Lady-in-waiting Venus, Chione intapurpurea (Conrad) • Imperial Venus, Lirophora latilirata (Conrad) • Grey pygmy Venus, Chione grus (Holmes) • Striped Venus clam, Chamelea gallina (Linnaeus, 1758) • Elegant Venus clam, Pitar dione (Linnaeus, 1758) ==Species==

The genus Venus contains these extant species: • Venus albina G. B. Sowerby II, 1853 • Venus casina Linnaeus, 1758 • Venus cassinaeformis (Yokoyama, 1926) • Venus chevreuxi Dautzenberg, 1891 • Venus crebrisulca Lamarck, 1818 • Venus declivis G. B. Sowerby II, 1853 • Venus lyra Hanley, 1845 • Venus nux Gmelin, 1791 • Venus rosalina Rang, 1802: synonym of Venus crebrisulca Lamarck, 1818 • Venus subrosalina Tomlin, 1923 • Venus thomassini Fischer-Piette & Vukadinovic, 1977 • Venus verdensis Dautzenberg & H. Fischer, 1906 • Venus verrucosa Linnaeus, 1758 ==References==