Pinctada margaritifera   (Linnaeus, 1758)

Pacific pearl-oyster

Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.
Pinctada margaritifera  AquaMaps  Data sources: GBIF OBIS
Upload your photos 
 All pictures | Google image |
Image of Pinctada margaritifera (Pacific pearl-oyster)
Pinctada margaritifera

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | CoL | ITIS | WoRMS

Gastropoda | Ostreida | Margaritidae

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Benthic; depth range 0 - 40 m (Ref. 80041), usually 0 - 20 m (Ref. 75831).  Tropical; 37°N - 28°S, 32°E - 124°W

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Indo-Pacific: from Mexico to Tanzania and the Red Sea to French Polynesia. Introduced in the Atlantic and Mediterranean.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - 4 cm Max length : 9.8 cm SHL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2922); max. reported age: 15 years (Ref. 129284)

Short description Morphology

Shell rather thick and large (attaining 25 cm in length), subcircular in outline, with a short and ill-defined posterior ear which is not drawn out into a wing-like process. Anterior margin markedly protruding beyond the tip of anterior ear. Outer surface of valves, when not worn, with densely set, flattened, imbricating concentric scales and moderately long, parallel-sided and flattened spines with tapering or rounded ends; spines lying relatively flat on surface of valves, arranged in radial rows and often strongly projecting on shell margins. hinge completely devoid of teeth. Colour: outside of shell greyish brown or green to nearly black in ground colour, with radial stripes of white or yellowish markings corresponding to the basal portion of old flattened spines. Internal nacreous area silvery, with a darker smoky hue and a hint of red and green iridescence on border. Non-nacreous area very dark.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

A continuous spawner (peak: December to April, warm season).

Main reference References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Poutiers, J.M. 1998. (Ref. 348)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)

  Not Evaluated 

CITES status (Ref. 108899)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Human uses

Fisheries: commercial
| FishSource | Sea Around Us

Tools

E-book | Field guide

More information

Trophic Ecology
Food items
Diet
Food consumption
Ration
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
Home ranges
Population dynamics
Growth
Age/Size
Length-weight
Length-length
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturity
Fecundity
Spawning
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Distribution
Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
Human Related
Aquaculture profile
Stamps, Coins Misc.
Outreach
Collaborators
Taxonomy
Common names
Synonyms
Morphology
Pictures
References
References

Internet sources

BHL | BOLD Systems | CISTI | DiscoverLife | FAO(Publication : search) | Fishipedia | GenBank (genome, nucleotide) | GloBI | Gomexsi | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | PubMed | Tree of Life | Wikipedia (Go, Search) | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 23.8 - 29, mean 27.6 (based on 1848 cells).
Resilience (Ref. 69278): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=0.26-0.58).
Vulnerability (Ref. 71543): Moderate to high vulnerability (47 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766): Unknown.
Nutrients :  Calcium = 149 [71, 228] mg/100g; Iron = 8.53 [1.95, 15.11] mg/100g; Protein = 9.88 [8.64, 11.12] %; Omega3 = 0.313 [0.202, 0.423] g/100g; Selenium = 61 [50, 72] μg/100g; VitaminA = 0 μg/100g; Zinc = 2.04 [0.56, 3.51] mg/100g (wet weight); based on nutrient studies.

Comments & Corrections
Back to Search
Random Species
Back to Top