Linnaeus (1758) first described this species under genus Venus with the type locality America. Later he corrected it in 1767. in his 12th edition and placed it under the genus Donax. In 10th
edition he also described D. pubescens with the type locality Indian Ocean which are young ones of D. scortum. The type specimens of D. scortum Linnaeus is not present in the Linnaean collections, even the name of D. scortum is not on the list of species that he owned (Dodge, 1952). D. pubscens Linnaeus is conspecific with p. scortum Linnaeus and the type locality of D. pubsecens is now taken as the type locality of D. scortum Linnaeus as the latter is not recorded from America.