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| NAS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species |
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Common Name: softshell clam
Synonyms and Other Names: Mud clam
Taxonomy: available through 
Identification: Thin, brittle, elongated shell; large spoon-shaped chondrophore at hinge of left valve. White to grey exterior, brown or yellow-orange periostracum obvious at edges of shell. Dark siphons. (Harbo)
Size: To 4" (Harbo)
Native Range: Atlantic coast. (Harbo)
Nonindigenous Occurrences: Icy Cape, Alaska south to Elkhorn Slough, California (Harbo).
Ecology: Intertidal, usually buried 4-8" (10-20 cm) below the surface in sand-mud, often in estuarine conditions. (Harbo)
Means of Introduction:
Status: Established.
Impact of Introduction:
Remarks: The shells of this species is not found in Native middens of the Northwest Coast. Evidence shows that it may have been introduced from the Atlantic coast in the late 1800s. This species hosts pea crabs.
References
Harbo, Rick M. 1997. Shells & Shellfish of the Pacific Northwest: 270 pp.
Author: Nancy Elder
Revision Date: 10/22/2007 Citation for this information:
Nancy Elder. 2009. Mya arenaria. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL.
<http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=100> Revision Date: 10/22/2007
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