Arctic hiatella

Hiatella arctica

Molluscs
IUCN: Not evaluated

Usual depth5–242 m
Water temperature-1–27 °C
Best monthsMay, July, and August
How commonCommon

Photo credit: (c) Jan Johan ter Poorten, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist

About this species

Hiatella arctica, known as the wrinkled rock-borer, the arctic hiatella or the arctic saxicave, is a species of saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Hiatellidae. The white shell of this mollusc is thick and more or less rectangular, but generally irregular in shape. It is up to 45 mm (1.8 in) long.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Hiatella arctica”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 534 records
February: 577 records
March: 792 records
April: 836 records
May: 1,419 records
June: 1,256 records
July: 1,528 records
August: 1,641 records
September: 1,206 records
October: 648 records
November: 497 records
December: 331 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 5–242 m · Deepest record: 1,610.3 m

0–10 m: 1,000 records
10–20 m: 1,154 records
20–30 m: 831 records
30–40 m: 624 records
40–50 m: 457 records
50–60 m: 291 records
60–70 m: 275 records
70–80 m: 228 records
80–90 m: 153 records
90–100 m: 248 records
100–110 m: 268 records
110+ m: 1,612 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of -1–27 °C

-2–0 °C: 7 records
0–2 °C: 9 records
2–4 °C: 16 records
4–6 °C: 33 records
6–8 °C: 31 records
8–10 °C: 96 records
10–12 °C: 343 records
12–14 °C: 118 records
14–16 °C: 6 records
16–18 °C: 13 records
18–20 °C: 13 records
20–22 °C: 30 records
22–24 °C: 9 records
24–26 °C: 12 records
26–28 °C: 6 records

Photos

(c) Erin McKittrick, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Erin McKittrick · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Saryu Mae 前朝琉, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Saryu Mae 前朝琉 · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Ian Manning, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Erin McKittrick, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Matt Muir, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist

Names and classification

English: Arctic hiatella, Arctic rock borer, Arctic saxicave, Nestling clam, Red nose, Red-nose clam, Arctic Hiatella, Arctic Rock Borer, Arctic Saxicave, Nestling Clam, red nose, Red Nose, red-nose clam, Red-nose Clam, wrinkled rock borer, wrinkled rockborer, Wrinkled Rockborer, Wrinkled Rock Borer

Names in 2 more languages

German: Arktischer Felsenbohrer, Felsenbohrer, Nördlicher Felsenbohrer
Japanese: ハナシキヌマトイ

Other scientific names: Biapholius spinosus, Byssomia crispa, Chama aculeata, Didonta bicarinata, Hiatella (Hiatella) arctica, Hiatella arenacea, Hiatella azaria, Hiatella biaperta, Hiatella lirata, Hiatella monoperta, Hiatella oblonga, Hiatella orientalis, Hiatella pholadis, Hiatella sakhalinensis, Hiatella solida, Hiatella striata, Hypogaea barbata, Mya arctica, Mya byssifera, Mytilus pholadis, Petricola awana, Petricola linguatula, Saxicava acuta, Saxicava arctica, Saxicava arenacea, Saxicava azaria, Saxicava clava, Saxicava conchotrypa, Saxicava distorta, Saxicava flaccida

Similar species

Australian Rock-Borer
Hiatella australis
Geoduck
Panopea generosa
Deepwater Clam
Panopea zelandica
Panopea australis

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
19,232 open-data records from 1815 to 2025.
Species data updated November 3, 2026.

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