Acanthocardia spinosa, the sand cockle, is a species of saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs in the family Cardiidae.

This shell is robust, round with a heart-shaped profile, equivalve and inflated, with crenulated margins.

The surface shows thick narrowly spaced radial ribs, with rows of pronounced thorny hooks.

Acanthocardia spinosa can be found in the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic.

[2] This species is present in sand and mud, from low waters to 120 m. Like almost all bivalves, these mollusks are phytoplankton feeders.