Gastropoda |
Ostreida |
Margaritidae
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Benthic; depth range 0 - 30 m (Ref. 104365). Tropical; 34°N - 37°S, 98°W - 29°W
Western Atlantic: From South Carolina to Uruguay.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm Max length : 8.8 cm SHL male/unsexed; (Ref. 85431); common length : 7.6 cm SHL male/unsexed; (Ref. 344); max. reported age: 8 years (Ref. 8702)
Shell roundish, thin, flattened to moderately inflated, inequivalve. Hinge with 2 wing-like projections, posterior projection shorter than that of Pteria colymbus. Periostracum with flat, scale-like projections aligned concentrically. Colour: externally tan, brown, or purplish, with greenish cast, internally nacreous.
Maximum depth from Ref. 85431. Lives attached to rocks or other hard substrates, in shallow subtidal depths. Small live specimens found in rock-pools between tide-marks (Ref. 88739). Common in coralline bottoms (Ref. 128042).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Members of the class Bivalvia are mostly gonochoric, some are protandric hermaphrodites. Life cycle: Embryos develop into free-swimming trocophore larvae, succeeded by the bivalve veliger, resembling a miniature clam.
Leal, J.H. 2003. (Ref. 344)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)
CITES status (Ref. 108899)
Not Evaluated
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Human uses
Fisheries: highly commercial
| FishSource |
Tools
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature
(Ref.
115969): 20.5 - 29.1, mean 27.5 (based on 3386 cells).
Resilience
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=0.94-1.42; tmax=8).
Price category
Unknown.