Diversification for the hard clam aquaculture industry through investigation of the blood ark, Anadara ovalis, and ponderous ark, Noetia ponderosa, reproduction and development

The hard clam aquaculture industry has largely been limited to the cultivation of the species Mercenaria mercenaria. Two Florida native species of clam, Noetia ponderosa and Anadara ovalis, commonly known as "Ark clams" are being studied for their viability as potential aquaculture species. Early development of the blood ark, Anadara ovalis (Bruguiere, 1789), and the ponderous ark, Noetia ponderosa (Say, 1822) was analyzed with an emphasis on the processes of meiotic maturation and early embryogenesis through gastrulation, using light and fluorescence microscopy. Both A. ovalis and N. ponderosa oocytes were released at the metaphase I stage of meiosis and shared similar schedules of early development through initial veliger stage. Differences in the timing of development between species were negligible. In addition, the behavior and developmental timeline of the ark clams was very similar to that of Mercenaria mercenaria , which also reaches the D-shaped veliger stage in less than 24 hours.