Abstract: Paphia undulate is one of shellfish which has higher economic value.Foot tissue is an important edible part of Paphia undulate. The present study examined the total carotenoid content (TCC) and color index L^* (brightness), a^* (values of red, green), b^* (values of yellow, blue) of 91 P. undulate foot tissue samples.There were great differences in TCC and color index among individuals.The range of TCC in different individuals was 1.78~15.72 μg/g, and the fluctuation ranges of color index L^*, a^*, b^* were 48.21~56.31,-0.32~10.46 and 16.56~30.29 respectively.Statistical analysis showed that TCC and color index L^*, a^*, b^* had highly significant correlation (P<0.01), the correlation coefficients were-0.733, 0.685 and 0.775 respectively.The results of this study will provide important reference data for selecting high content carotenoid in P. undulate breeding.