The Chinese razor clam is a commercially important species of bivalve. It is also known as tagelus tablet, clam agemaki and Otherwiseovacula constricta.
It grows in the mouths and silts of China and Japan. It is widely used in China and other countries. In 2008, 742,084 tonnes of crop were harvested.
The farming of Chinese marine molluscs began nearly 500 years ago in China, mainly in the southeast region and especially in the coastal regions of Fujian and Zhejiang.
More recently, fishermen in Shandong Province have shown great interest in this species of bivalve molluscs and have established breeding grounds.
The Chinese razor clam is primarily distributed along the coasts of China and Japan and typically inhabits intertidal areas with flat, loamy, or sandy-loamy bottoms. Read more information below.
Characteristics of the Chinese knife
Chinese shell razors are narrow, soothingly elongated. They are so named mainly because of their long, convex shape, reminiscent of an antique barber’s razor.
The shell of these molluscs tends to be shiny with a purple area near the curved edge. The siphon is present, as in other bivalves.
The hole in the body from which the siphon protrudes has a unique keyhole shape. Photos and information from FAO and Wikipedia.
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Chinese razor clams are filter feeders, passively absorbing food organisms from surrounding seawater through their filter organs.
To some extent, they can mechanically select food particles. Observations have shown that the main food organisms in their stomachs are benthic diatoms such as Nitzschia sp. Coscinodiscus sp. etc., while several spiny species have been recorded.
reproduction
The sex of the Chinese razor clam can only be determined during the spawning season, when the reproductive organs are mature.
The female organ has a rough surface, a grainy appearance and is beige in color. While male gonads are usually milky white in color with a smooth surface.
The Chinese razor clam spawning season is closely related to water temperature, so individuals from different locations tend to spawn at different times.
In Liaoning province, egg-laying begins at the end of June. and in Fujian, the razor clam spawning season lasts long from late September to the following January, with a peak period in mid-October and mid-November.
With an interval of about 2 weeks, fully mature individuals may spawn 3-4 times during a spawning season. Typically, a clam can lay an average of 193,000 eggs per clutch.
Advantages
Chinese knife is commonly used as food. In some countries, it is very popular as a food.
Special Notes
The Chinese razor clam is well adapted to life in soft tidal substrates. The leg of these molluscs is larger and more mobile than that of other molluscs.
They are very sensitive to vibrations and can sense the approach of a nearby predator.
They have a strong, muscular foot that allows them to climb out of their burrow to avoid an attack from below, or burrow quickly if a predator attacks from above.
The Chinese knife is of very great economic importance. It is grown and harvested primarily for human consumption.
They are extremely robust and strong, and it is almost impossible to completely separate them from the substrate (since the shell can detach from the body of the mollusk).
The shell edge of this snail is quite sharp, so trying to pull these snails out of the hole with your bare hands can be dangerous. However, check out the complete Chinese Knife breed profile in the table below.
| Last name | chinese knife |
| Kingdom | animal |
| phylum | clam |
| To classify | bivalves |
| order | veneroid |
| A family | farids |
| Gender | Otherwiseovacula |
| see | S. constricta |
| Binomial name | Otherwiseovacula constricta |
| Other names | Also known as Sinonovacula constricta, constricted tagelus and agemaki clam. |
| Purpose of the breed | Mainly food |
| Special Notes | An economically very important shellfish, very sensitive to vibrations, cultivated and harvested mainly for food, extremely hardy and resistant, almost impossible to entirely remove from the substrate, today mainly used for food and highly valued in China and Japan . |
| Breeding method | Natural |
| skin color | Shiny with a purple area on the curved edge |
| scarcity | general |
| Availablity | Widely available in China and Japan. |
