(Chione stutchburyi).

Well known as the New Zealand “cockle”, it is not a true cockle; venus shell, or the Maori name, tuangi, is preferable. The tuangi grows up to 2 in. in width and is white with a violet-coloured patch on the inside of each valve. It lives in large colonies, just beneath the surface, in muddy localities between tides, and occasionally to a depth of 2 fm. It is esteemed for food.

by Arthur William Baden Powell, Assistant Director, Auckland Institute and Museum.