Ensis is a genus of medium-sized edible saltwater clams, littoral bivalve mollusks in the family Pharidae.

Description

The shells are long, narrow, and parallel-sided. This shape resembles a closed, old-fashioned straight razor (a cut-throat razor), or a closed jackknife (pocket knife) and sometimes these clams are known as razor shells or jackknives. The shells in these species are fragile and can easily be damaged when digging for these clams.

Ecology

Ensis species live in clean sand on exposed beaches. They are capable of digging very rapidly; see the description under the Atlantic jackknife clam. Some clammers catch jackknives by pouring salt on the characteristic keyhole-shaped breathing holes. The clam then tries to escape the salt by coming up out of its hole, and at this point it is possible to gently grab the shell and pull it out of the ground.

Species

Thirteen species are currently recognised:^[1]

• Ensis arcuatus (Jeffreys, 1865) – razor shell
• Ensis californicus Dall, 1899
• Ensis directus (Conrad, 1843) – Atlantic jackknife clam
• Ensis ensis (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Ensis goreensis (Clessin, 1888)
• Ensis macha (Molina, 1782)
• Ensis magnus Schumacher, 1817
• Ensis megistus Pilsbry & McGinty, 1943
• Ensis minor (Chenu, 1843) – jackknife clam
• Ensis myrae Berry, 1954
• Ensis nitidus (Clessin, 1888)
• Ensis siliqua (Linnaeus, 1758) – pod razor
• Ensis tropicalis Hertlein & Strong, 1955

References

v t e Edible mollusks Bivalves Clams Atlantic jackknife Atlantic surf Geoduck Grooved carpet shell Hard clam Horse Mactra stultorum Blunt gaper Ocean quahog Pacific razor Pecten jacobaeus Venus California butterclam Senilia senilis Smooth clam Soft-shell Triangle shell Tuatua Japanese littleneck Razor clam Pod razor Ensis (razor genus) Paphies Cockles Common Blood Goolwa New Zealand Mussels Blue Mediterranean New Zealand green-lipped California Brown Asian/Philippine green Date Mytilidae (mussel family) Oysters Auckland Eastern Olympia Southern mud Colchester native Pacific Portuguese Windowpane Rock Sydney rock Ostra chilena/Bluff Gillardeau oysters Crassostrea ("true oyster" genus) Scallops Atlantic bay Great/king New Zealand Peruvian calico Yesso Gastropods Abalone White Red Black Green Pink Blacklip Green ormer Pāua (group of three species) Chilean Conches Queen Dog Limpets Black-foot opihi/Hawaiian Turtle/talc Yellow-foot opihi China Common European Rayed Mediterranean Ribbed Mediterranean Rustic Periwinkles Common Banded Littorina sitkana Whelks Common Kellet's Knobbed Lightning Channeled Other snails Sea Mud-flat Korean mud Chorus giganteus Land Helix aspersa Helix lucorum Helix pomatia Freshwater Nerites Inkfish Cuttlefish Spineless Bottletail Octopus Common Atlantic white-spotted Big blue Pacific giant Southern red Amphioctopus fangsiao Squid New Zealand arrow Japanese flying Humboldt Neon flying Chitons Chiton magnificus Acanthopleura granulata Related topics Oyster farming Land snail farming