A review is made of the general biology, ecology, population dynamics, reproduction and
culture methods of marine bivalves of the family Arcidae, subfamily Anadarinae. These cockles
are harvested on a subsistence basis in many tropical, subtropical and warm temperate areas. The
important species are Anadara gmnosa (L.), A. subcrenata (Lischke) and A. broughtoni (Schrenk).
Hatchery production, if economical, could overcome the considerable year to year variability
in supply of spat of some species. However, the major constraint to improving productivity of
culture beds is predation by gastropod drills and starfish.