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Coquina
Donax variabilis
Donax variabilis, known by the common name coquina, is a species of small edible saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Donacidae, the bean clams. It is a warm water species which occurs in shallow water on sandy beaches on the east coast of the United States and is also plentiful in Mayaro, Trinidad as well as the Caribbean coast of Venezuela. Known as chip-chip in Trinidad and chipi-chipi in Venezuela.
From the article Donax variabilis on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
The maximum reported size is 19 mm (0.75 in). The exterior of the small shell of this species can have any one of a wide range of possible colors, from almost white, through yellow, pink, orange, red, purple, to brownish and blueish, with or without the presence of darker rays.
Range & habitat
This species occurs on the east coast of the United States, from Cape May, New Jersey to Florida including East Florida, West Florida and the Florida Keys.
Wikipedia: “Distribution”
At the table
The coquina is edible and is used to make broth. Some people collect the colorful shells to use for crafts. They are sometimes consumed fried, as a type of fritter, in Trinidad. It is also used in a type of cocktail, with a local culantro flavoured sauce. It's also very popular in a coconut curry with cassava dumplings.
Wikipedia: “Human uses”
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Donax variabilis in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 122241.