To investigate the changes of reactive oxygen species metabolism, glycogen and lactic acid in bivalve mollusks during the waterless preservation period, Sinonovacula constricta was kept at 4 ℃, 10 ℃ and 15 ℃ without water, to determine the survival rate, SOD activity, CAT activity, GSH content, MDA content, H₂O₂ content, glycogen content and lactic acid content. The results showed that the survival rate of Sinonovacula constricta maintained above 90 % in each groups in the first 3 days; the survival rate of 4 ℃ group could still reach 84 % after 7 days of waterless preservation, which was higher than 67 % of 10 ℃, and the lowest survival rate was only 52 % at 15 ℃. In the whole waterless preservation period, the SOD activity, CAT activity and GSH content at 4 ℃ were significantly higher than other groups (P<0.05); compared with other groups, the Sinonovacula constricta at 4 ℃ had the lowest MDA content and H₂O₂ content significantly in the later waterless preservation period (P<0.05); in addition, the glycogen content decreased by only 3.7 % at 10 ℃ when Sinonovacula constricta was kept alive for 1-3 days, which was the lowest in each group; with the prolongation of waterless preservation time, the glycogen content in each group of Sinonovacula constricta continued to decrease, while the lactic acid content continued to increase. At the same time, the consumption of glycogen in Sinonovacula