APHOTOMARINE

An educational resource dedicated mainly to the photography
and diversity of marine life that can be found in coastal waters
and intertidal areas of Great Britain and Ireland by David Fenwick.

Scroll down and rollover titles to change screen image or click on title to view image.

A verified specimen of this species was found washed-up in Ireland, March 2017, cemented to an item of plastic that has probably drifted from the southern states of the USA.

Leafy jewel box clam
Chama macerophylla
- exterior right valve 1

Leafy jewel box clam
Chama macerophylla
- external and internal view 1

Leafy jewel box clam
Chama macerophylla
- exterior of both valves 1

Leafy jewel box clam
Chama macerophylla
- dorsal view right valve 1

Leafy jewel box clam
Chama macerophylla
- dorsal view right valve 2

Leafy jewel box clam
Chama macerophylla
- ventral view right valve 1

Leafy jewel box clam
Chama macerophylla
- dorsal view of left valve 1

Leafy jewel box clam
Chama macerophylla
- lateral view of shell 1

The Chama macerophylla here was found by a diver in 80-90 feet of water, it was on a rock pile just off the Blackthorn Wreck, Pinellas County Artificial Reef #2, West of the mouth of Tampa Bay, Florida, USA, in 1988.

The small boring bivalve mollusc in the center of the shell is Choristodon robustus.

Chama macerophylla is included here as a number of Chama are rafting species and therefore have the potential to arrive in the UK on items of flotsam via the Gulf Stream.

Leafy jewel box clam
Chama macerophylla ?
- interior basal valve 1

Leafy jewel box clam
Chama macerophylla ?
- with 1.0mm division rule 1

Leafy jewel box clam
Chama macerophylla ?
- in-situ on Stone crab trap 1

Leafy jewel box clam
Chama macerophylla ?
- in-situ on Stone crab trap 2

Leafy jewel box clam
Chama macerophylla ?
- parts of Stone crab trap 1

Shell bases up to 60mm in length were found on a Stone crab trap that had drifted from Florida, USA to the Lesceave end of Praa Sands, near Helston, Cornwall. SW 58522 27590. 10.11.15.

The images here are of a left basal valve that is 60mm in length. No right valves of Chama macerophylla were found on the trap, and Chama macerophylla cannot be determined on size of the valve alone. However, C. macerophylla does occur with C. congregata, so is likely.

The bivalves Chama congregata, Chama florida and Isognomon bicolor, the Bicolor Purse-oyster were also found on the same stone crab trap. The bryozoan Akatopora tincta was also found in a crevice on the trap.

The main objective of this website is in furthering environmental awareness and education through the medium of photography. To increase awareness and access to the wildlife of the region and help

people find and identify it. Sometimes the difference between species is obvious but many species can only be determined by observing microscopic characteristics that are specific to any one species.