ENSIS ENSIS

How could one not recognize the Ensis ensis? With its unmistakably curved shape it’s one of the most popular species of razor clams. A bivalve mollusk belonging to the “Pharidae” family, a classic ingredient in many traditional Mediterranean dishes. Let’s find out all its characteristics.

Morphological features of Ensis Ensis

All you need to know about its morphological features lies inside its name, which means “saber”. It’s elongated and gracefully curved like a blade, ready to become your secret culinary weapon. Its shell is thin and delicate, equivalve but inequilateral, crescent-shaped, and open at both ends, with convex valves.

As for its edges:

• The dorsal and ventral margins run parallel and curve symmetrically around the midline of the shell;
• The anterior margin is rounded and convex and it has no transverse grooves;
• The posterior margin is blunt and truncated.

On the outer face of the valves, extremely glossy, you’ll find longitudinal and vertical growth lines marking the razor clam’s development stages. The adductor muscle stretches down to the small, rounded lower ligament, located well apart from the pallial sinus. Both anterior and posterior ends remain open.

Each valve features a hinge with:

• Two cardinal teeth;
• Two lateral teeth on the left valve;
• One cardinal and one lateral tooth on the right valve.

The species can grow up to 13 cm in length!

External and internal coloration of Ensis ensis

The outer shell is smooth and whitish, often marked by reddish-brown or violet-brown vertical and horizontal streaks, divided by a diagonal line. The periostracum is olive green (with kind of dark shades). The interior of the shell is white with purplish tones, while the foot is pale red to light brown.

Habitat and distribution of Ensis ensis

These razor clams live in deep, vertical and permanent burrows beneath the sand. They prefer sandy and muddy seabeds, from low tide zones to shallow sublittoral areas.

They are rarely found washed up on shores.

Ensis ensis is distributed from southern Norway to the Mediterranean Sea, and along the northwest coast of Africa.