The imperial venus clam, Chione latilirata, is a bivalve mollusc in the family Veneridae. It grows to about 4.5 cm (1.5 inches), and lives off the eastern shores of North and South America, south of Cape Hatteras, in 20 to 40 m (60 to 120 ft) depths. Occasionally it is found washed up on ocean shores. It ranges from North Carolina to Brazil. This species has been frequently found among catches of the Atlantic calico scallop. The Veneroida order typically have a folded gill structure which is well developed for filtering out small food particles.