The Yellow Egg Cockle, Laevicardium mortoni (Conrad, 1830) is the last of eight locally found species of the bivalve family Cardiidae (Cockles) covered in this column. The Yellow Egg Cockle has a smooth shell, roughly circular in shape, with a strong “ridge” on its posterior end. It measures up to an inch in size, and usually displays a color pattern with typical purple-brown zigzag or “serrated” lines set on a cream background. The internal surface of the shell is cream or yellow and shows the same type of zigzag lines as seen externally.
The Yellow Egg Cockle, Laevicardium mortoni, from Sanibel. Photos by José H. Leal.