Saxidomus nuttalli

Saxidomus nuttalli is a species of large edible saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Veneridae, the venus clams.^[1] Common names include California butterclam^[1] and Washington clam.^[2]

Saxidomus nuttalli
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Order:	Venerida
Superfamily:	Veneroidea
Family:	Veneridae
Genus:	Saxidomus
Species:	S. nuttalli
Binomial name
Saxidomus nuttalli Dixon, 1788

This clam is native to the west coast of North America, its distribution extending from northern California to Baja California.^[2]

This is a commercially exploited species that attains a length of approximately 15 cm.^[3]

Archaeology

This species was harvested by Chumash peoples on the central California coast, at least as early as the Millingstone Horizon.^[4] The shells were used as currency by local native peoples.^[2]

See also

• Intertidal zone