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  • José H. Leal

Shell of the Week: The Princess Venus

Periglypta listeri (J.E. Gray, 1838) is another member of the diverse venus clam family, the Veneridae (which includes the Southern Quahog, Cross-barred Venus, Sunray Venus, and many other local species). The Princess Venus grows to about 65 mm (about 2.5 inches), and differs from other local venus clams by the sharply truncated posterior margin (on left of images), which gives a quadrangular aspect to the shell. The sculpture is vaguely similar to that of the Lady-in-waiting Venus (Chionopsis intapurpurea), with commarginal (“concentric”) ridges crossed by fine radial lines. The species is present in the Gulf of Mexico but not common in Southwest Florida. The shell illustrated was collected in February 1957 by William C. Brumbach on Sanibel.


The Princess Venus, Periglypta listeri, from Sanibel. Photos by José H. Leal.
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