Lifespan, longevity, and ageing
provided by AnAge articles
Maximum longevity: 400 years (wild)
Observations: These animals show exceptional longevity and have been estimated to live up to 400 years in the wild. One study found that in animals aged 4-192 years, antioxidant enzymes declined rapidly in the first 25 years, which includes the growth and sexual maturity stages, but afterwards remained stable for over 150 years (Abele et al. 2008). Though more detailed studies are warranted, it appears this species is a case of negligible senescence.
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- Joao Pedro de Magalhaes
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- de Magalhaes, J. P.
Brief Summary
provided by Ecomare
Quahogs can reach a very ripe old age, more than 400 years!. That makes them the oldest animals in the world. However, more than 99% of the quahogs do not come close to growing so old, due to the beam-trawl fisheries. Traces of damage can often be discovered in the year rings.
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Comprehensive Description
provided by EOL staff
The Ocean Quahog, or Black Clam (Arctica islandica) is broadly distributed in the boreal-temperate zone of the North Atlantic. It is found from the Barents Sea (Arctic Ocean north of Scandinavia and Russia) to the Gulf of Cadiz (south of Portugal) in the eastern Atlantic (where it is abundant in some regions characterized by important oceanographic fronts, such as Iceland and the boundary between the lrminger and East Greenland currents) (Scourse et al. 2006) and from Newfoundland (Canada) to North Carolina (U.S.A.) in the western Atlantic, where it is a is a common beach shell from Cape Cod northward. It is found in sand at depths from 5 to 500 meters (Scourse et al. 2006). This orange-fleshed clam, which may reach 10 cm in size, is fished commercially to a limited degree from Rhode Island south to Virginia (U.S.A.). (Abbott 1968; Morris 1973; Gosner 1978; Rehder 1981)
The Ocean Quahog may have the longest lifespan of any animal known. These clams mature at 10 to 32 years of age (Abele et al. 2009), but individuals more than 100 years old are common and reported maximum ages from various studies are 225, 268, and 374 years old. Patterns of shell growth in these clams have been used to infer historical climate changes at a range of time scales. (Schöne et al. 2005 and references therein; Scourse et al. 2006; Abele et al. 2008). These clams have also been investigated by researchers studying cellular, molecular, and genetic aspects of aging (Abele et al. 2008, 2009; Bodnar 2009).
Diagnostic Description
provided by FAO species catalogs
Shell thick and strong, broadly oval, with prominent umbones. The periostracum peels away on dead shells, revealing a white to pale brown shell beneath. Anterior hinge line strongly curved, lunule ill-defined. Escutcheon shallow, occupied by thick, aeched, brown or black ligament. Sculpture of concentric lines and few irregular grooves. Right valve with three prominent cardinal teeth and single posterior lateral tooth; triangular pit in front of anterior cardinal, surrounded by small knobs and ridges. Left valve with three cardinals and one posterior lateral, anterior cardinal continuous with series of small ridges and denticulations. Inner surfaces smooth, glossy; adductor scars distinct, posterior slighty larger than anterior. Ventral margin crenulate (Hayward et al., 1990). It has a thick glossy periostracum that is brown in smaller individuals, becoming greenish-brown to black in larger specimens.
- Golikov, A.N. & O.A. Scarlato - 1973. Method for indirectly defining optimum temperatures of inhabitancy for marine cold-blooded animals. Mar.Biol. 20: 1-5.
- Kraus, M.G., B.F. Beal, S.R. Chapman & L. McMartin - 1992. A comparison of growth rates in Arctica islandica (Linnaeus, 1767) between field and laboratory populations. J. Shellfish Res. 11: 289-294.
- L. M. Cargnelli, S. J. Griesbach, D. B. Packer & E. Weissberger - 1999. Ocean Quahog, Arctica islandica, Life History and Habitat Characteristics. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE series, Nº 148 . 15 pp.
- MAFMC: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council - 1997. Amendment #10 to the Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic surfclam and ocean quahog fisheries. MAFMC. March 1997. Dover, DE. 58 p. + appendices.
- Mann, R. - 1982. The seasonal cycle of gonadal development in Arctica islandica from the southern New England shelf. Fish. Bull. (U.S.) . 80: 315-326.
- Mann, R. - 1989. Larval ecology of Arctica islandica on the inner continental shelf of the eastern United States. J. Shellfish Res. 8: 464.
- Rowell, T.W, D.R. Chaisson & J.T. McLane - 1990. Size and age of sexual maturity and annual gametogenic cycle in the ocean quahog, Arctica islandica (Linnaeus, 1767), from coastal waters in Nova Scotia, Canada. J. Shellfish Res. 9: 195-203.
- Serchuk, F.M., S.A. Murawski & J.W. Ropes - 1982. Ocean quahog Arctica islandica. In M.D. Grosslein and T.R. Azarovitz eds. Fish distribution. p. 144-146.
- Weinberg, J. - 1995. Ocean quahog. In Conservation and Utilization Division, Northeast Fisheries Science Center eds. Status of the fishery resources off the northeastern United States for 1994. NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] Tech. Mem. NMFS-NE-108. p. 121-122.
- Weinberg J. - 2001. Ocean Quahog. In: Status of fishery resources off the Northeastern United States for 1998. NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] Tech. Memo. NMFS-NE-115. 149p.
Size
provided by FAO species catalogs
Up to 120 mm shell length.
Brief Summary
provided by FAO species catalogs
Although the species has been found at depths of 14-82 m, most are found at depths of 25 to 61 m (Serchuk et al. 1982). Juvenile ocean quahogs are found offshore in sandy substrates (Kraus et al. 1992). Adult ocean quahogs are usually found in dense beds over level bottoms, just below the surface of the sediment which ranges from medium to fine grain sand (MAFMC 1997).Larvae are planktotrophic. Adult ocean quahogs are suspension feeders on phytoplankton, using their relatively short siphons which are extended above the surface of the substrate to pump in water. Ocean quahogs mature very slowly. Rowell et al. (1990) report the mean age of sexual maturity for Nova Scotian quahogs to be 13.1 years for males and 12.5 years for females. The earliest age of maturity was 7 years for both sexes, and maturity occurred at about 49 mm shell length. Ocean quahog spawning is protracted, lasting from spring to fall. Extended spawning period, from May through December, with several peaks during this time. Multiple annual spawnings may occur at the individual and population levels (Mann 1982). The eggs and larvae of ocean quahogs are planktonic (MAFMC 1997). Found at oceanic salinities and restricted to cooler waters where temperatures rarely exceed 20°C. Based on field distributions on both sides of the Atlantic, Golikov & Scarlato (1973) estimated the optimal temperature for ocean quahogs to be 6-16°C. They are capable of surviving low dissolved oxygen levels. The ocean quahog is among the longest-lived and slowest growing of marine bivalves and may reach a maximum age of 225 years (MAFMC 1997).
Arctica islandica
provided by wikipedia EN
The dark periostracum is flaking off this dried
valve of
Arctica islandica from
Wales
The ocean quahog (Arctica islandica) is a species of edible clam, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Arcticidae. This species is native to the North Atlantic Ocean, and it is harvested commercially as a food source. This species is also known by a number of different common names, including Icelandic cyprine,[1] mahogany clam, mahogany quahog, black quahog, and black clam.[2]
The typical Arctica islandica resembles the quahog, but the shell of the ocean quahog is rounder, the periostracum is usually black, and on the interior of the shell, the pallial line has no indentation, or sinus. Unlike the quahog, which lives intertidally and can be collected by clam digging, this species lives subtidally, and can only be collected by dredging. They grow to sizes exceeding 50 mm or two inches shell height.[3] An individual specimen was reported to have lived 507 years, making it the longest-lived non-colonial metazoan whose age was accurately known.[4]
Life cycle and longevity
Arctica Islandica shows slower growth rate than other species of clams, it takes an average rate of 4 days for birth (embryo to larvae stage). Furthermore, it takes an average of 5.8 years for A. Islandica to reach maturity; at this point the somatic costs start going down. Dynamic Energy Models (DEM) predict that Arctica islandica's extreme longevity arises from lowered somatic maintenance costs and a low aging acceleration.[5] For individuals in populations in cold areas the growth rate is probably further slowed because growth only occurs in summer.[6] This slow life style results in exceptional longevity with a highest reported age, for Ming the clam, of 507 years. This makes it the longest living non-colonial metazoan species with an authenticated lifespan.[4][7][8] It is unknown how long it could have lived if it had not been collected alive by an expedition in 2006.
This characteristic has proven useful in the science of sclerochronology, the study of periodic physical and chemical features in the hard tissues of animals that grow by accretion, and is especially valuable for modeling of paleoclimates. In 1868 one specimen, collected alive near Iceland, was 374 years old. The study of its growth rate and the oxygen isotope data showed that it had a highly variable growth at the peak of the Little Ice Age around 1550–1620 and mild climate near its end around 1765–1780 and had recorded the volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815.[9]
One study found that in animals aged 4–192 years, antioxidant enzymes declined rapidly in the first 25 years, which includes the growth and sexual maturity stages, but afterwards remained stable for over 150 years. Though more detailed studies are warranted, it appears this species is a case of negligible senescence.[10] In contrast to the exceptionally long-lived populations in relatively deep, cold parts of its range, more southern populations that experience greater seasonal variations in salinity and temperature are typically far shorter-lived. For example, A. islandica from the German Bay of Kiel typically only reach an age of about 30 years and those from the German Bight about 150.[11]
Feeding ecology
Like other clam species, Arctica islandica is a filter feeder. Feeding activity appears regulated by light levels, which can be used as a proxy for food availability. This means that at the northern extreme of the distribution, feeding is concentrated during eight months of the year, while during the rest of the year the clams only feed for a few days a month.[6]
See also
Notes
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^ Sabatini, M. & Pizzola, P.F., 2007. Arctica islandica. Icelandic cyprine. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 14 September 2007]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/Arcticaislandica.htm>
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^ Hackney, Cameron R.; Thomas E. Rippen (2000). "The Molluscan Shellfish Industry". In Roy E. Martin; Emily Paine Carter Jr.; George J. Flick; Lynn M. Davis (eds.). Marine and Freshwater Products Handbook. CRC Press. pp. 323–324. ISBN 1-56676-889-6.
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^ R. Witbaard; M.J.N. Bergman (2003). "The distribution and population structure of the bivalve Arctica islandica L. in the North Sea: what possible factors are involved?" (PDF). Journal of Sea Research. 50 (1): 11–25. Bibcode:2003JSR....50...11W. doi:10.1016/s1385-1101(03)00039-x. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-09-28.
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^ a b Butler, P.; Wanamaker, A. Jr.; Scourse, J.; Richardson, C.; Reynolds, D. (2013). "Variability of marine climate on the North Icelandic Shelf in a 1357-year proxy archive based on growth increments in the bivalve Arctica islandica". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 373: 141–51. Bibcode:2013PPP...373..141B. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2012.01.016.
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^ Ballesta-Artero, Irene; Augustine, Starrlight; Witbaard, Rob; Carroll, Michael L.; Mette, Madelyn J.; Wanamaker Alan, D.; Van Der Meer, Jaap (January 2019). "Energetics of the extremely long-living bivalve Arctica islandica based on a Dynamic Energy Budget model" (PDF). Journal of Sea Research. 143: 173–182. Bibcode:2019JSR...143..173B. doi:10.1016/j.seares.2018.09.016. S2CID 92037627.
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^ a b Ballesta-Artero, Irene; Witbaard, Rob; Carroll, Michael L.; van der Meer, Jaap (2017). "Environmental factors regulating gaping activity of the bivalve Arctica islandica in Northern Norway". Marine Biology. 164 (5): 116. doi:10.1007/s00227-017-3144-7. PMC 5409809. PMID 28546647.
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^ Butler, P.G. (2012). "Clam shells, climate change and ageing: The mollusc that had 500 birthdays" (PDF). Catalyst Secondary School Review. 23 (1): 6–8.
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^ Bulter, P.; et al. (2012). "Characterising the microstructure of Arctica islandica shells using NanoSIMS and EBSD" (PDF). Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. 13 (4): Q04002. Bibcode:2012GGG....13.4002K. doi:10.1029/2011GC003961.
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^ Schone, B.R.; et al. (2005). "Climate records from a bivalved Methuselah (Arctica islandica, Mollusca; Iceland)". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 228 (1–2): 130–148. Bibcode:2005PPP...228..130S. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2005.03.049.
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^ "Ocean quahog clam (Arctica islandica) longevity, ageing, and life history".
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^ Strahl, Julia (2011). Life strategies in the long-lived bivalve Arctica islandica on a latitudinal climate gradient – Environmental constraints and evolutionary adaptations. Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, University of Bremen.
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Arctica islandica: Brief Summary
provided by wikipedia EN
The dark periostracum is flaking off this dried
valve of Arctica islandica from
Wales The ocean quahog (Arctica islandica) is a species of edible clam, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Arcticidae. This species is native to the North Atlantic Ocean, and it is harvested commercially as a food source. This species is also known by a number of different common names, including Icelandic cyprine, mahogany clam, mahogany quahog, black quahog, and black clam.
The typical Arctica islandica resembles the quahog, but the shell of the ocean quahog is rounder, the periostracum is usually black, and on the interior of the shell, the pallial line has no indentation, or sinus. Unlike the quahog, which lives intertidally and can be collected by clam digging, this species lives subtidally, and can only be collected by dredging. They grow to sizes exceeding 50 mm or two inches shell height. An individual specimen was reported to have lived 507 years, making it the longest-lived non-colonial metazoan whose age was accurately known.
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Distribution
provided by World Register of Marine Species
Arctic to Cape Hatteras
North-West Atlantic Ocean species (NWARMS)
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Habitat
provided by World Register of Marine Species
infralittoral and circalittoral of the Gulf and estuary
North-West Atlantic Ocean species (NWARMS)
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The dark periostracum is flaking off this dried valve of Arctica islandica from Wales 
