Lettered carpet shell
Tapes literatus
- Usual depth1–54 m
- Water temperature20–30 °C
- Best monthsJanuary, August, and December
- How commonRare
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 9 records
- February: 8 records
- March: 3 records
- April: 2 records
- May: 4 records
- June: 8 records
- July: 5 records
- August: 10 records
- September: 6 records
- October: 2 records
- November: 1 records
- December: 13 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 1–54 m · Deepest record: 56 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 20–30 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Lettered carpet shell, Lettered carpetclam, Lettered venus, lettered carpetclam, lettered carpet shell, lettered venus
Names in 2 more languages
- German
- Buchstaben-Teppichmuschel
- Japanese
- リュウキュウアサリ
Other scientific names: Paphia nocturna, Tapes (Pullastra) distinguendus, Tapes (Tapes) literatus, Tapes aspersa, Tapes distinguendus, Tapes literata, Tapes litteratus, Venus adspersa, Venus compunctata, Venus literata, Venus litterata, Venus punctifera
Similar species
- Belcher's Venus
Tapes belcheri
- Comb Circe
Gafrarium pectinatum
- Camp pitar-venus
Lioconcha castrensis
- Reticulated venus
Periglypta reticulata
Scaled VenusAnomalodiscus squamosus
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.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 229 open-data records from 1758 to 2014.
Log what you see on your next dive
The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.