SUMMARY

The reddish trough shell, Mactra rufescens, is a burrowing bivalve found in the sandy intertidal zone.  All members of the Mactridae family burrow in sand or fine gravel, but never muddy substrates.The reddish trough shell is widely distributed throughout Australia. It's distribution stretches from central Queensland right along the coast, including Tasmania,to south Western Australia (Lamprell and Whitehead, 1992). These filter-feeding bivalves are generally cream in colour with a white interior. They are an important prey species for a number of large vertebrates. 

 
Figure 1: The reddish trough shell in their typical sandy, intertidal habitat.