Analyses of DNA obtained from shells and brine-preserved meat of the giant clam Tridacna maxima from the central Pacific Ocean

DNA was extracted from giant clam Tridacna maxima shells and from brine-preserved meats for sequencing of the cytochrome c oxidase I gene (COI). We examined COI variation in clams from Palmyra Atoll (Line Islands) and Tarawa (Kiribati) and incorporated our data into an existing phylogeographic analysis to identify one new central Pacific Ocean clade of clams. We highlight the utility of the DNA extraction procedures to address questions about illegal harvesting, sources of clams for the aquarium trade, and the origin of museum specimens.