Common cockle

Common cockle
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Order:	Veneroida
Family:	Cardiidae
Genus:	Cerastoderma
Species:	C. edule
Binomial name
Cerastoderma edule (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
Cardium belgicum De Malzine, 1867 Cardium crenulatum Lamarck, 1819 Cardium edule Linnaeus, 1758 (basionym) Cardium edule burchanae Girscher, 1938 Cardium edule var. batesoni Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1892 Cardium edule var. loppensi Mars, 1951 Cardium edule var. major Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1892 Cardium mercatorium Coen, 1915 Cardium nunninkae Lucas, 1984 Cardium obtritum Locard, 1886 Cardium quadrarium Reeve, 1845 Cardium vulgare Da Costa, 1778 Cerastoderma edule var. sinicola Lacourt, 1974 Cerastoderma nunninkae Lucas, 1984

Cerastoderma edule, commonly known as the common cockle, is a species of edible saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Cardiidae, the cockles.

This species is found in coastal areas of the eastern Atlantic Ocean. It is widely distributed from Norway to the coast of west Africa.

Cerastoderma edule a) foot b) exhalant siphon c) branchial or inhalant siphon d) edge of mantle e) ligament f) umbones or beaks of the shell

The common cockle is one of the most abundant species of molluscs in tidal flats in the bays and estuaries of Europe. It is an important species for the fishing industry, and it plays a major role as a source of food for crustaceans, fish, and wading birds. It is commercially fished in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France by suction dredge and hand raking. Previously the greatest catch was from the Netherlands, but now fisheries restrictions have been put in place due to environmental concerns. It is also used in aquaculture; farming of cockles is ongoing in the UK, the Netherlands and Portugal, however information about this enterprise is limited. It moves by spitting water.

This cockle is cooked and eaten in several countries (including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Portugal and Spain). Probably a significant food source in hunter-gatherer societies of prehistoric Europe, the remains of shell-imprints have been found, see Archeological record below.

Archeological record

Cardial Ware is a name attributed to Neolithic pottery from maritime cultures that colonized the Mediterranean littoral c. 6000 – 5,500 B.C.

Cockle shell ridges imprinted in fragment of Neolithic Cardial Ware

The clay is imprinted with fine decorations, repetitions of the distinct curved ridges, undulating lines and/or edges characteristic to the cockle shell, a natural resource of coastal waters.

External links

• biology and ecology
• Modelling of the cockle fishing grounds