Fossil History
Lucinidae fossil records are found throughout the Mesozoic and Cenozoic and it is possible to trace morphological lineages of living taxa through the Cenozoic. However, relationships of some extinct taxa from early Cenozoic and most Mesozoic lucinids proved to be more difficult to link.

In the Palaeozoic, fossil records were not as evident and consistent (Hisinger,
1837). The Illionia prisca was a species abundant in the late Silurian of Gotland, Sweden, which has very similar characteristics as lucinid (Taylor & Glover,
2006). From the Devonian era, Paracylas species had ventrally detached, anterior adductor muscle scars that were found on Lucinidae.  The Phenacocyclas species of the Devonian era had elongate non-detached scars which were also characteristic of Lucinidae (Taylor & Glover, 2006).

For Mesozoic, there were inadequate numbers of confirmed lucinids from the Triassic. Small early Triassic species were possible lucinids but there were no evidence strong enough to support that claim or hypothesis (Hautmann & Nützel, 2005)