coup de grÃ¢ce in British English. See all translations. coup de grÃ¢cenoun [ S ] uk â /ËkuË dÉ ËÉ¡rÉËs/ us â /ËkuË dÉ ËÉ¡rÉËs/ formal. âº an action that ends something that has been gradually getting worse, or that kills a person or animal in order to end their suffering: Jane's affair was the coup de grÃ¢ce to her disintegrating marriage. Thesaurus: synonyms and related words.
Bivalves is a class of marine and freshwater molluscs with about 30,000 species including scallops, clams, oysters, razor shells, shipworms and mussels. Most bivalves are marine usually found in shallower water but some live in brackish and freshwater.
An internal organ called the mantle secretes calcium carbonate so that as the inner invertebrate grows, the outer shell provides a roomier home. Many bivalve species play important roles in aquatic and marine ecosystems by filtering the water and serving as habitat and prey for a variety of sea life. roughfile clam from the Flower Garden Bank National Marine Sanctuaryâjust one of many different bivalve mollusk species. Like fish, bivalve mollusks breathe through their gills. As filter feeders, bivalves gather food through their gills.