Saltwater clam, MAL-19995 Dorsal view of specimen, entire.

This saltwater clam is classified as Gastrochaena difficilis. The specimen shown here (embedded in the coral) is a syntype of the original species, G. mowbrayi, meaning that it was used to help describe G. mowbrayi as a new taxonomic classification. Taxonomy is far from static, however, and at a later date another scientist decided that G. mowbrayi was actually the same species as G. difficilis. Museum specimens such as this allow taxonomists to revist the past and make important distinctions that help us map the tree of life.