CreatureData

Varnish clam

Nuttallia obscurata (Reeve, 1857)

Status not recordedmolluscs

The varnish clam (Nuttallia obscurata) is a species in the family Psammobiidae, order Cardiida.

No freely licensed photo yet

Quick facts about the varnish clam

Weight
Not recorded
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the varnish clam live?

Not recorded

Is the varnish clam endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the varnish clam classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumMollusca
  3. classBivalvia
  4. orderCardiida
  5. familyPsammobiidae
  6. genusNuttallia
  7. SpeciesNuttallia obscurata (Reeve, 1857)

Synonyms Nuttallia olivacea, Nuttallia solida, Psammobia olivacea, Sanguinolaria olivacea, Soletellina obscurata, Soletellina olivacea

Other names and names in other languages (8)
  • Purple mahogany clamEnglish
  • Purple mahogany-clamEnglish
  • Purple Varnish clamEnglish
  • ワスレイソシジミJapanese
  • 두툼빛조개Korean
  • Нутталия темнаяRussian
  • Нутталия оливковаяRussian
  • Оливковая кровянкаRussian

Catalogue of Life

Relatives of the varnish clam

Other species in the same genus Nuttallia.

Purple clam

Nuttallia nuttallii

PsammobiidaeNo free photo yet

CompareVarnish clam vs Purple clamVarnish clam vs Purple olive clamVarnish clam vs Nuttallia commodaVarnish clam vs Nuttallia ezonis

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

What kind of animal is the varnish clam?

The varnish clam (Nuttallia obscurata) belongs to the family Psammobiidae in the order Cardiida.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Varnish clam (Nuttallia obscurata). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/varnish-clam

MLA

“Varnish clam (Nuttallia obscurata).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/varnish-clam.

BibTeX
@misc{varnish_clam_2026,
  title = {Varnish clam (Nuttallia obscurata)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/varnish-clam},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}