Commonly referred to as the China clam, Hippopus porcellanus has one of the most restricted geographic ranges of the giant clams, centered in the Coral Triangle region. The species is mostly known from the Sulu Archipelago and Palawan region in the Philippines, but it has also been reported in Palau, the Milne Bay Province (Papua New Guinea), Sabah (Malaysia), and Sulawesi and Raja Ampat (Indonesia).
The species is commonly found in shallow, nearshore reef flats or sandy areas adjoining coral reefs or lagoons.
H. porcellanus is most commonly found at shell lengths of around 8 inches, and the shell is typically smoother, thinner, and more rounded than that of its congener, H. hippopus. The mantle often exhibits mottled patterns of gray, brown, or green and does not extend over the margins of the shell.
Decades of intense, unregulated harvest has driven H. porcellanus to very low abundance throughout its range. Past and ongoing harvest for meat and shells is the primary threat to this and other giant clam species.
| Kingdom | Animalia | Phylum | Mollusca | Class | Bivalvia | Order | Cardiida | Family | Cardiidae | Genus | Hippopus | Species | porcellanus |
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A grant project in Guam is setting up giant clam aquaculture in two southern villages, Inalåhan and Malesso. Giant clams are a culturally important species in Guam, where they’re also regulated due to overharvesting. Credit: David Burdick
Fifteen of the 83 species included in the Pacific Islands vulnerability assessment. From left to right: Acanthurus achilles, Caranx melampygus, Tripneustes gratilla, Acanthurus triostegus, Scarus rubroviolaceus, Cephalopholis argus, Octopus cyanea, Lutjanus kasmira, Panulirus penicillatus, Triaenodon obesus, Selar crumenophthalmus, Ctenochaetus strigosus, Naso unicornis, Zebrasoma flavescens, Tridacna maxima. Photo credit: Bruce Mundy.