Description: The shell is solid and cream, light yellow to fawn in colour. There may be red or brown mottling on the shell of younger animals. The periostracum is thin and green-yellow to light brown. The shell reaches around 7.5 cm in large specimens but is more commonly smaller. There are 40-50 faint ribs on the surface of the valves but these are very inconspicuous or absent aside from at the centre margin. Each valve has 2 cardinal teeth. Right valve has 2 posterior and 1 anterior lateral tooth. Left valve with 1 posterior and 1 anterior. Inside of the shell is white with a pinkish hue, with ridges visible at outer margin but fading quickly.

Habitat: Gravel, shelly gravel, sand and muddy sand. Found from just offshore down to around 200 m.

Distribution: Found all around Britain and Ireland.

Similar Species: Could potentially be confused with other cockles (e.g. Cerastoderma edule or Acanthocardia aculeata) but the shell structure of inconspicuous ribs with no knobs or spines should help distinguish.

Key Identification Features:

• Solid shell in cream to fawn colour.
• 40-50 faint ribs that are mostly only visible at centre margin of shell.
• Inside of shell white with pink tinge, ridges visible at outer margin.

Distribution Map from NBN: Laevicardium crassum at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Laevicardium crassum at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

GBIF data for Laevicardium crassum

WoRMS: Laevicardium crassum at World Register of Marine Species. Accepted name: Laevicardium crassum (Gmelin, 1791). AphiaID: 139004.

Classification: Biota; Animalia; Mollusca; Bivalvia; Autobranchia; Heteroconchia; Euheterodonta; Imparidentia; Cardiida; Cardioidea; Cardiidae; Laevicardiinae; Laevicardium