Rough fileclam
Lima scabra
(Born, 1778)
Description:
This bivalve shell is not attached to the substrate. The shells are roundish with many fine ribs. The mantle is brightly colored red to orange-red, fringed with long tentacles. The color of the tentacles is variable, from white in deeper, to reddish-orange in shallower water. It can swim by snapping the shells shut, thus escaping predators.
Size: up to 9 cm.
Habitat:
The shell lives on reefs, in recesses. Well hidden, but the tentacles may be visible.
Depth: ranges from 12 m down to 40 m.
Distribution:
Common all over the Caribbean.
Remarks:
In most countries it is illegal to bring back these shells from holidays.