''Pteria colymbus'', the Atlantic winged oyster, is a species of

bivalve Bivalvia (), in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class of marine and freshwater molluscs that have laterally compressed bodies enclosed by a shell consisting of two hinged parts. As a group, bival ...

mollusc Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Pteriidae Pteriidae, also called the feather oysters, is a family of medium-sized to large saltwater clams. They are pearl oysters, marine bivalve molluscs in the order Pteriida. Some of the species in this family are important economically as the sou ...

. It can be found along the Atlantic coast of North America, ranging from

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...

and

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Description

The Atlantic winged oyster grows to about long and is a distinctive, asymmetric shape. It has a long straight hinge with one wing drawn out a long way and the other one much smaller. The upper valve is brownish, often mottled with paler markings. The lower valve is flatter and smaller and the interior of the shell is pearly grey. The posterior margin is rounded while the anterior margin is elongated and slopes at an acute angle to the hinge. There are a number of indistinct, irregular ribs that flare out from the umbo. These are sparsely covered with blunt spines and there is a fine sculpturing of concentric growth lines.

Distribution

The Atlantic winged oyster is found in the Western Atlantic at depths between 3 and 30 metres (10 to 100 feet). The range extends from North Carolina and Florida, southwards through the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico to Venezuela and northern Brazil.

Biology

The Atlantic winged oyster is often found attached to the stems of gorgonian corals by strong

byssus A byssus () is a bundle of filaments secreted by many species of bivalve mollusc that function to attach the mollusc to a solid surface. Species from several families of clams have a byssus, including pen shells (Pinnidae), true mussels (Mytilid ...

threads. It often has

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

and other organisms growing on the shell which make it well

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

d. It is a

filter feeder Filter feeders are a sub-group of suspension feeding animals that feed by straining suspended matter and food particles from water, typically by passing the water over a specialized filtering structure. Some animals that use this method of feedin ...

and is reproductively active all year round. The spat abundance varies and has four peaks in the period November to March. In El Niño years, there is increased rainfall in the Caribbean Sea which reduces the

salinity Salinity () is the saltiness or amount of salt dissolved in a body of water, called saline water (see also soil salinity). It is usually measured in g/L or g/kg (grams of salt per liter/kilogram of water; the latter is dimensionless and equal ...

, more sediment is stirred up from the substrate and there is greater run-off of nutrients from the land. These factors do not seem to impact adversely on recruitment of the oyster. A study was made on the coast of Venezuela to determine whether cultivation of this species was feasible. It was found that at some times of year the molluscs were stressed, perhaps by a lack of

phytoplankton Phytoplankton () are the autotrophic (self-feeding) components of the plankton community and a key part of ocean and freshwater ecosystems. The name comes from the Greek words (), meaning 'plant', and (), meaning 'wanderer' or 'drifter'. Ph ...

availability, and growth rates were too low for commercial exploitation to be worthwhile.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q693012 Pteriidae Bivalves described in 1798