#donax variabilis

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Various coquina shells. Individuals in the mollusk species Donax variabilis show diverse coloration and patterning in their phenotypes. by Debivort

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Donax variabilis, the Coquina New Smyrna Beach in Volusia county, Florida (06 June 2015, Nikon D7100) New Smyrna 2015 BioBlitz

No New Smyrna BioBlitz series would be complete without the requisite tip o’ the hat to our dear friends, the Coquina, Donax variabilis. These colorful, little bivalves are one of the most commonly encountered mollusks along our coastal shores. By day and by night, you can find them clustered together en masse around the intertidal zone. They feed from just beneath the sand and passing waves. As the waves rush overhead, they work to filter out some good-eats from the passing water. Every few wave cycles, they’ll allow themselves to be plucked from the sand by the wave and drift a bit with the water. As the wave then recedes, the Coquina will burrow back down into the sand and repeat the process. Truly, when you find one coquina clam, there are usually —quite literally— thousands more nearby (if not directly under your feet)!

The Coquina (Donax variabilis), 06 June 2015 Donax variabilis, the Coquina New Smyrna Beach in Volusia county, Florida (06 June 2015, Nikon D7100)