Meretrix taiwanica

Meretrix taiwanica is a clam indigenous to Taiwan and China, it was misidentified as Meretrix lusoria until 2023.

Description
The shell color is highly variable from yellow-white to dark red-brown.

Distribution
Meretrix taiwanica is found in Taiwan and along the coast of southern China.

Habitat
Commonly found in sandy estuaries associated with mangroves.

Use
Like similar Meretrix species, M. taiwanica is farmed commercially for food. 49,501 tons of "M. lusoria", now identified as M. taiwanica, was produced in the year of 2019 in Taiwan.

History
Meretrix taiwanica was misidentified as Meretrix lusoria until 2023. Scientists conducting research on what they believed to be M. lusoria in the Tamsui River sent samples for genetic analysis and discovered that they were a genetically distinct species. M. lusoria was introduced into Taiwan for commercial cultivation during the Japanese colonial period and was believed to have outcompeted native clams. However, the new data suggests that M. lusoria were outcompeted by native M. taiwanica and died out soon after introduction.

Meretrix taiwanica has also been misidentified as M. petechialis in China. In 2017, a Chinese study noticed that what was considered M. petechialis seems to be geographically divided into two lineages. The southern lineages is now known to be synonymous to M. taiwanica. Another misidentification was as M. meretrix in Taiwan, native to South Asia and Southeast Asia.