Giant clam  (Tridacna gigas)

Bivalve: In this group of aquatic molluscs the soft parts are encased in a shell consisting of two parts known as valves.
Larvae: Stage in an animal's lifecycle after it hatches from the egg. Larvae are typically very different in appearance to adults; they are able to feed and move around but usually are unable to reproduce.
Mantle: In molluscs, a fold of skin that encloses a space known as the mantle cavity, which contains the gills. The mantle is responsible for the secretion of the shell.
Molluscs: A diverse group of invertebrates, mainly marine, that have one or all of the following; a horny, toothed ribbon in the mouth (the radula), a shell covering the upper surface of the body, and a mantle or mantle cavity with a type of gill. Includes snails, slugs, shellfish, octopuses and squid.
Photosynthesis: Metabolic process characteristic of plants in which carbon dioxide is broken down, using energy from sunlight absorbed by the green pigment chlorophyll. Organic compounds are made and oxygen is given off as a by-product.
Planktonic: Aquatic organisms that drift with water movements; may be either phytoplankton (plants), or zooplankton (animals).
Spawning: The production or depositing of large quantities of eggs in water.
Trochophores: A type of marine larva with several bands of cilia (hair-like projections). By moving the cilia, the trochophore can control the direction of its movement.

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   http://www.iucnredlist.org
   
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   http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/living_species/default.asp?hOri=1&inhab=411
   
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11. Norton, J.H., Braley, R.D. and Anderson, I.G. (1993) A quarantine protocol to prevent the spread of parasitic diseases of giant clams (Tridacnidae) via translocation. In: Fitt, W. Ed. The Biology and Mariculture of Giant Clams. ACIAR Proceedings No. 47, Canberra.