Pinna nobilis
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''Pinna nobilis'',
common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...
the noble pen shell or fan mussel, is a large
species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
clam, a
marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...
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
Pinnidae The Pinnidae are a taxonomic family of large saltwater clams sometimes known as pen shells. They are marine bivalve molluscs in the order Pteriida. Shell description The shells of bivalves in this family are fragile and have a long and triang ...
, the pen shells. *''Pinna gigas'' Chemnitz It reaches up to of shell length.Zavodnik, D., Hrs-Brenko, M., & Legac, M. (1991). Synopsis of the fan shell ''P. nobilis'' L. in the eastern Adriatic sea. In the C. F. Boudouresque, M. Avon, & V. Gravez (Eds.), ''Les Especes Marines a Proteger en Mediterranee'' (pp. 169–178). Marseille, France: GIS Posidonie publ. It produces a rare manganese-containing porphyrin protein known as pinnaglobin.


Description

The
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 ...
shell is usually long, but can reach . Its shape differs depending on the region it inhabits. Like all pen shells, it is relatively fragile to pollution and shell damage. It attaches itself to rocks using a 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 ...
composed of many silk-like threads which used to be made into cloth. The animal secretes these fibres from its byssus gland; they consist of
keratin Keratin () is one of a family of structural fibrous proteins also known as ''scleroproteins''. Alpha-keratin (α-keratin) is a type of keratin found in vertebrates. It is the key structural material making up scales, hair, nails, feathers, ho ...
and other proteins and may be as long as . The inside of the shell is lined with brilliant mother-of-pearl. As with other members of its genus, ''Pinna nobilis'' hosts symbiotic shrimp which live inside its shell. It is believed that when it sees a threat, the shrimp warns the host, perhaps by retracting its claws or even by pinching. The clam then closes shut. It has been demonstrated that the shrimp has a similar filter-feeding diet to its host and the relationship is likely mutualistic.


Distribution

This species is
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to the
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...
, where it lives offshore at depths ranging between . It could be found buried beneath soft-sediment areas (fine sand, mud, often
anoxic The term anoxia means a total depletion in the level of oxygen, an extreme form of hypoxia or "low oxygen". The terms anoxia and hypoxia are used in various contexts: * Anoxic waters, sea water, fresh water or groundwater that are depleted of diss ...
).


Human relevance

This species is the origin of
sea silk Sea silk is an extremely fine, rare, and valuable fabric that is made from the long silky filaments or byssus secreted by a gland in the foot of pen shells (in particular ''Pinna nobilis''). The byssus is used by the clam to attach itself to t ...
, which was made from the
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 ...
of the animal.Hill, John E. (2009) ''Through the Jade Gate to Rome: A Study of the Silk Routes during the Later Han Dynasty, 1st to 2nd centuries CE''. John E. Hill. BookSurge, Charleston, South Carolina. . See Section 12 plus "Appendix B – Sea Silk". pp. 468–476.


Threats

In 2016, there was an outbreak of a disease that caused the mortality of 99% of its population in Spain. The cause of the disease is a newly discovered
pathogen In biology, a pathogen ( el, πάθος, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a germ ...
, ''
Haplosporidium pinnae ''Haplosporidium'' is a genus under order Haplosporida. WoRMS (2021). Haplosporidium Lühe, 1900. Accessed at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=391857 on 2021-12-28 They are a group of eukaryotes that are parasites of mari ...
'' and it is posing a serious threat to the survival of the species. By 2019, mortality spots have been detected in
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
,
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...
,
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
,
Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...
, France and
Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
. In the
Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...
area, considerable efforts have also been made to conserve the deposits since 2020. In the past, ''Pinna nobilis'' has been threatened with extinction, due in part to fishing, incidental killing by trawling and anchoring, and the decline in
seagrass Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which grow in marine environments. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four families (Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and Cymodoceaceae), all in the orde ...
fields; pollution kills eggs, larvae, and adult mussels. Such threats, however, have been very localised and have not led to such a widespread and rapid population decline. The pathogen, which is still present in the environment, will make recovery a challenge, so continuing declines are expected. The percentage of population size reduction over the last ten years is over 80%. In December 2019, ''Pinna nobilis'' has entered the
IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...
as critically endangered. The noble pen shell has been listed as an endangered species in the Mediterranean Sea. The European Council
Habitats Directive The Habitats Directive (more formally known as Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora) is a directive adopted by the European Community in 1992 as a response to the Berne Convention. The E ...
92/43/EEC, on conservation of natural habitats and the wild fauna and flora, proclaims that ''P. nobilis'' is strictly protected (by the Annex IV of EEC, 1992) – all forms of deliberate capture or killing of fan mussel specimens are prohibited by law.Centoducati, G., Tarsitano, E., Bottalico, A., Marvulli, M., Lai, O., Crescenzo, G. (2006). Monitoring of the Endangered ''Pinna nobilis'' Linee, 1758 in the Mar Grande of Taranto (Ionian Sea, Italy). In the ''Environ Monit Assess'' (2007) 131:339–347. As part of the ''Costa Concordia'' disaster recovery effort in Italy in 2012, a group of about 200 ''Pinna nobilis'' was relocated to a nearby area due to the threat posed by subsequent engineering work.Reuters video about the Pinna nobilis relocation
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Gallery

File:Pinna nobilis.jpg, Live specimen of ''P. nobilis'', looking into the shell from above File:Pinna noblis shell & byssus.JPG, ''Pinna nobilis'': shell and byssus File:Fine sea silk threads.JPG, The very fine
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 of ''P. nobilis'' File:Pinna nobilis PN.jpg, Shell of ''Pinna nobilis''


See also

*
List of animals that produce silk Silk is produced by a variety of animals, for different purposes, with various types being produced. Insects *Silkworms produce silk when undergoing larval to adult metamorphosis. This includes not only the domesticated ''Bombyx mori'', but a wide ...


References


Further reading

* Hill, John E. 2004
''The Peoples of the West''
A draft annotated translation of the 3rd century
Weilüe The ''Weilüe'' () was a Chinese historical text written by Yu Huan between 239 and 265. Yu Huan was an official in the state of Cao Wei (220–265) during the Three Kingdoms period (220–280). Although not a formal historian, Yu Huan has been h ...
– see Section 12 of the text and Appendix D. *Laufer, Berthold. 1915
"The Story of the Pinna and the Syrian Lamb"
''The Journal of American Folk-lore'' 28.108:103–128. * McKinley, Daniel L. 1988. "Pinna and Her Silken Beard: A Foray Into Historical Misappropriations". ''Ars Textrina: A Journal of Textiles and Costumes'', Vol. Twenty-nine, June 1998, Winnipeg, Canada. pp. 9–223. * Maeder, Felicitas 2002. "The project Sea-silk – Rediscovering an Ancient Textile Material." ''Archaeological Textiles Newsletter'', Number 35, Autumn 2002, pp. 8–11. * Maeder, Felicitas, Hänggi, Ambros and Wunderlin, Dominik, Eds. 2004. ''Bisso marino : Fili d’oro dal fondo del mare – Muschelseide : Goldene Fäden vom Meeresgrund''. Naturhistoriches Museum and Museum der Kulturen, Basel, Switzerland. (In Italian and German). *Schafer, Edward H. 1967. ''The Vermillion Bird: T'ang Images of the South''. University of California Press. * Turner, Ruth D. and Rosewater, Joseph 1958. "The Family Pinnidae in the Western Atlantic" ''Johnsonia'', Vol. 3 No. 38, 28 June 1958, pp. 285–326. * R. Tucker Abbott & S. Peter Dance, 1982, “Compendium of seashells: a color guide to more than 4,200 of the world’s marine shells”, E.P. Dutton Inc., New York. .


External links


Images of shells
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q536444 Pinnidae Molluscs described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus