Amethyst gem clam

The amethyst gem clam (Gemma gemma) is species of very small saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Veneridae, the Venus clams.

Amethyst gem clam
Gemma gemma shell
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Order:	Venerida
Family:	Veneridae
Genus:	Gemma Deshayes, 1853
Species:	G. gemma
Binomial name
Gemma gemma (Totten, 1834)
Synonyms
Gemma purpurea Lea, 1842

It is a small species, reaching a length of only 5 mm.^[1] The shell color is whitish or grayish, suffused with purple on both outer and inner surfaces.

The species is native to the Atlantic coast of North America, from Labrador to Texas,^[2] but it is now also found as an introduced species in some locations on the Pacific coast.^[3]