Distribution
The distribution of the small giant clams is the widest among all the Tridacnidae species ranging from East Africa to the middle of the Pacific and from Japan to South Australia. In addition, they are present in the Red Sea up to Egypt. This wide distribution is supposed to be a result of their long evolutionary history and the relatively long life of larvae as a motile organism. Their abundance varies in function of the history of local areas and the geomorphology of reefs systems. Interactions with human populations made at least one population (the Hong Kong one) to become extinct, according to the IUCN. |