Lunarca ovalis is an ark clam that stands out because of its heavy fur-like periostracum, or outermost shell layer. Reaching 64 mm (about 2.5 inches), its shell is inflated, oval, and is almost as long as it is high, being one of the shorter ark clams in Florida. As with most members of the family Arcidae, the shell bears a number of radial ribs. The vernacular (“common”) name of this species refers to the color of its blood, imparted by the presence of a form of hemoglobin. The latter helps improve in-body oxygen transport in anoxic (oxygen-depleted) environments. The species is found all along the Eastern Seaboard of the US, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean to Brazil and Uruguay.
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