Devil Clam with psychedelic mantle pattern collected in Tonga

对于最近描述的两个新物种来说，这是非常富有成效的一年, Tridacna mbalavuana, now we have another series of another individual of these mythical beasts up close.

This gorgeous and large Devil Clam was also collected byEcological Reef Farms Tongawhich seems to have a penchant for where this clam is found. Unlike the first Devil Clam we showed you recently, this specimen is particularly attractive with a gorgeous psychedelic network of concentric lines making a pattern that is unlike any other species that we are familiar with.

That being said, both thefirst devil clamfrom Ecological Reef Farms Tonga and this one have patterns that are reminiscent of what one might see in some specimens oftridacna derasa, the species which is most closely related toT. mbalavuana.这款魔鬼的另一个特征令人惊讶，它的外壳是多么狭窄，其地幔如何仅延伸到壳的边缘，这是该物种的显着特征。

We have seen该物种在汤加的水下镜头and since it is such a deepwater specialist, it has to open its shell valves extra wide in order to collect enough light to power the internal algae farms from which it derives its energy to live, grow and reproduce.

So far we have only really seen large adult specimens ofTridacna mbalavuana，我们不得不怀疑这是否是因为少年很难找到，或者这个物种真的很罕见，以至于成年人很少而彼此之间。我们将密切关注汤加巨型蛤s空间，因为我们希望将来看到更多的魔鬼蛤标本。