Species profile
Blood Ark
Lunarca ovalis
At a glance
Blood Ark (Lunarca ovalis) is a bivalve mollusk present across the CatchRules coverage area but without species-specific bag, size, or season rules tracked in our regulatory dataset.
Confirmed by 4,762 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina the top jurisdictions by observation count.
Notable details
- Unlike most bivalves, blood arks have true red blood from hemoglobin rather than blue hemocyanin.
- Their shells bear about 26 prominent ribs and typically measure up to 2 inches across.
- Blood arks burrow just beneath sandy or muddy sediment in shallow intertidal and subtidal zones.
- Found along Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Cape Cod south to the Caribbean in nearshore waters.
- They are edible bivalves harvested and consumed in some Gulf and Caribbean coastal communities.
Where Blood Ark are seen
Background
Lunarca ovalis, also known as the blood ark clam, is a species of clam in the family Arcidae. It can be found along North America coast of the Atlantic Ocean, ranging from Massachusetts to the West Indies and Brazil. It resides from the low-tide line to a depth of ten feet.
Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Blood Ark article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.
Other clams/oysters/mussels on CatchRules
Photo credit: iNaturalist / Wikipedia. Identification reference only — verify regulations with the issuing wildlife agency before retaining a catch.