Illustration from Natural History: Mollusca (1854), p. 292 - "SAND GAPER" (Mya arenaria).
Date 1854
Source https://archive.org/details/naturalhistorymo00goss
Author Philip Henry Gosse (1810–1888)
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Natural_History_-_Mollusca_-_Sand_Gaper.png


Mya arenaria
- common names: sand gaper, soft-shell clam, softshells, steamer clam, Ipswich clam, Essex clam

Sand gaper (Mya arenaria) is a species of edible saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Myidae. It has a thin and fragile shell that gapes open at one end, and long siphons that can extend up to the surface of the sediment where it lives. Sand gapers are found on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Pacific Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It is a popular food item in some regions, especially in New England, where it is often steamed or fried.

Order: Myida
Superfamily: Myoidea
Family: Myidae
Genus: Mya
Species: Mya arenaria Linnaeus, 1758