Santo Domingo Carditid

Shell size up to 6 mm (0.24 inch). Shell shape quadrangular, with sharp, beaded radial ribs, margin finely notched (crenulated), as a result of the presence of ribs. Color white with small, faint pink or orange spots. Do not confuse with the more “triangular,” close relative Three-tooth Carditid, Pleuromeris tridentata, or commonly found juveniles of the Broad-ribbed Carditid, Cardites floridanus, which are more asymmetrical, with the umbo placed in a more anterior position. (The inside of the valves may look "dirty," and viewers may think that curatorial staff at the National Shell Museum didn't care to clean the shell prior to photography. The dried gunk, however, are remnants of the mollusk soft parts that may yield genetic information in the future, so it stays. Photos by James F. Kelly.