The Bear's Paw Clam

Genus HIPPOPUS, Lam.

Shell massive, equivalve, regular; hinge with two teeth in each valve; lunule nearly closed; sculpture of elaborate frilled scales on its numerous ridges and interstices. Single species.

The Spotted Bear's Paw Clam (H. maculatus, Lam.) is one of the most elegant and highly prized of bivalve shells. Specimens are obtained in great abundance from eastern seas and distributed all over the world. Yet never a second species, nor even a distinct variety has been found, though the type species has been well known for nearly two centuries. The gracefully curved ridges and intervening sulci are adorned with rows of frond-like scales. The ivory whiteness of the ridges is varied by spots of rose purple arranged to form broken but concentric bands. The sulci are yellowish. The shell lining is pure white, with small marginal spots of rose.

The byssus is reduced to almost nothing, and the mollusk is free. It lives on coral reefs. Length, 5 to 7 inches. Width, 6 to 10 inches.

Habitat.-Eastern seas.