In case you had forgotten what a stellar black tiger maxima clam is supposed to look like . . . here’s some great shots of this clam to jog your memory. It’s been a long time since giant clams have been ‘hot’ in the marine aquarium hobby, and besides teardrop clams, black tiger maxima clams have always been one of the most highly sought after color morphs ofTridacna maxima.
This fantastic specimen ofTridacna maxima于今年早些时候在Raja Ampat拍摄。它是在浅岩石礁平坦的地方发现的，那里的坚硬底部环境从完全贫瘠的角度到完全由软或石质珊瑚产生。这是寻找在自然环境中拍摄巨型蛤的理想场所，但我们从未梦想过我们会遇到如此出色的黑白标本T. maxima.
You can see from the in-situ photographs that where these clams occurred, they had little in the way of competition for space on the reef floor. And it’s not like we found hundreds of clams in one area; we only spotted a few dozentridacna鳄鱼in the shallows, and about ten somber looking maxima clams at the intermediate depth of about six feet deep.
B
y comparison you can see a more typical maxima clam mantle appearance in the image inset at right. This larger maxima clam was starting to get sandwiched between two very similar looking species of semi-encrusting soft corals, withSinulariapictured above, andLobophytumpictured below. Its always a treat to see reef animals we love in their natural environment and even more special when we encounter the kind of stupendous specimen that we’ll never forget, like the monochromatic black & white tiger maxima featured here.
