Donacidae, the bean clams or wedge shells, is a family of bivalve molluscs of the order Veneroida

Veneroida

The Veneroida or veneroids are an order of bivalve molluscs. They include some familiar forms such as saltwater clams and cockles, and a number of freshwater bivalves including zebra mussels....

. The family is related to the Tellins

Tellina

Tellina is a widely distributed genus of marine bivalve molluscs, in the family Tellinidae.- Species :* Tellina aequistriata Say, 1824: striate tellin* Tellina agilis Stimpson, 1857: northern dwarf tellin, northern dwarf-tellin...

.

The Donacidae are prolific filter feeder

Filter feeder

Filter feeders are animals that feed by straining suspended matter and food particles from water, typically by passing the water over a specialized filtering structure. Some animals that use this method of feeding are clams, krill, sponges, baleen whales, and many fish and some sharks. Some birds,...

s, and are an important part of coast

Coast

A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...

al food chain

Food chain

A food web depicts feeding connections in an ecological community. Ecologists can broadly lump all life forms into one of two categories called trophic levels: 1) the autotrophs, and 2) the heterotrophs...

s where they occur. The family is sensitive to coastal industry such as dam-building and dredging.

Characteristics

Members of this family have asymmetric, elongated compressed shells. The two siphons are short but are completely divided and the foot is large. They are vigorous burrowers.

Genera

• Capsella
  • Capsella variegata
• Donax
  Donax
  Donax is a genus of small, edible saltwater clams, marine bivalve mollusks. The genus is sometimes known as bean clams; however, Donax species have various common names in different parts of the world....
  
  Linnaeus, 1758
• Iphigenia Schumacher, 1817
  • Iphigenia brasiliana (Lamarck, 1818)