Maxima Giant Clam Tridacna maxima

The Maxima Clam is one of several Giant Clams, bivavle molluscs in the genus Tridacna. It is also called the Small Giant Clam but is not small for a clam, growing to some 20cm wide typically (exceptionally nearly double that); however it is small for a "giant" clam, the biggest, T. gigas, growing to 120-135cm wide. It is native to well-lit coral reefs in a vast area of the Indo-Pacific from East Africa to the Pacific islands. Giant clams hatch from eggs as free-swimming larvae. After their first few years as a juvenile clam they become male and later hermaphrodite as adults.

Most Giant Clams, including the Maxima, have vibrantly-coloured mantles which they can close within their shell for protection. In addition to its smaller size, the Maxima can be distinguished from other giant clams usually by its closely-spaced 5 bulging vertical "ribs", each with very closely-spaced thin "scutes". However these thin ledges are often worn away by burrowing and are sometimes obscured by the mantle.