Large pilgrim shell
| Large pilgrim shell | ||||||||||||
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Left shell of the great pilgrim mussel ( Pecten maximus ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Pecten maximus | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The large pilgrim mussel ( Pecten maximus ) is a mussel from the scallop family (Pectinidae). Like the related Mediterranean pilgrim mussel ( Pecten jacobaeus ), it is also known as the " scallop ". The large pilgrim mussel is only found in the Atlantic .
features
This scallop reaches a size of 14 cm. The two halves of the housing ( flaps ) are shaped differently. The left flap (at the top of the living animal) is very flat and even slightly curved inward, while the right flap, when fully grown, is curved outward by about 2.5 cm. The outer shell of both species is rough because they are covered with concentric and very fine rows of scales. The radial ribs (about 12 to 14) are rounded in cross section. The mussel has a speckled, reddish-brownish, flat shell half and a white, bulbous shell half, the latter often showing partly yellowish to brownish-reddish color patterns. At the edge of the mantle, scallops have tentacles , between which there are a total of 60 blue, millimeter-sized lens eyes . By suddenly closing their shells, they can swim meters away in case of danger.
distribution
Pecten maximus lives from Scotland along the Atlantic coasts to southern Portugal and inhabits soft soils.
Economical meaning
Pecten maximus , along with other species of the genus Pecten, is marketed as "scallop". The main fishing areas are off Scotland.
literature
- Guido T. Poppe and Y. Goto: European Seashells. Vol II (Scaphopoda, Bivalvia, Cephalopoda). 221 p., Verlag Christa Hemmen, Wiesbaden 1993.