Native to the Indo-Pacific, the Manila clam has been introduced to North America and Europe, becoming the most economically-important cultured bivalve species worldwide. Research on this species is inconvenienced by the co-existence of several scientific synonyms; non-taxonomists do not necessarily understand why this is so, what names are valid, and how they should justify using a particular name. In order to clarify all of these points, the historic and current taxonomic situation is summarized and explained, and a practical recommendation is proposed. Beyond the sole case of the Manila clam, the problems and issues raised here are experienced by researchers working on many taxa; the present work seeks to clarify the general taxonomic landscape for non-taxonomists.
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