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Family Chamidae Chamas or Jewel Box Shells
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Chamidae is a family of about 70 species, most of which live cemented to hard substrates. A few species are free-living, but most are permanently attached, resulting in the shell shape being irregular though conforming to the substrate. The cemented valve is cup-shaped, while the upper valve is flatter. The family occurs world-wide, but most species occur in the tropical Indo-West Pacific region. These occur mainly in shallow water, usually intertidally, but species have been collected down to 200 m depth. Family Reference Huber’s Compendium of Bivalves covers the family world-wide, and Lamprell & Whitehead’s Bivalves of Australia vol. 1 deals with the Australian species. Coverage Only one species occurs commonly in NSW, with another rarely collected in the north of the state. Identification Notes Because of their growth habit of attaching to the substrate, the form of chamid shells varies widely within each species. In NSW, shells are usually eroded and covered with marine growths, making specimens such as the one illustrated here (from Gloucester Passage, Qld) quite rare. Additional Species Chama limbula Lamarck, 1819 This large species, up to 80 mm in upper valve diameter, occurs in the Indo-West Pacific, including northern Australia. The only NSW specimen in the Australian Museum collection is a beach-collected specimen from North Solitary Island.
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