Tikod amo is the

Kamayo language Kamayo (Kinamayo or alternatively spelled Camayo), also called Kadi, Kinadi, or Mandaya, is a minor Austronesian languages, Austronesian language of the central eastern coast of Mindanao in the Philippines. Distribution Spoken in some areas of S ...

name for an edible

oyster Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but not al ...

species, a species of

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 ...

mollusk 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 e ...

that is found in the coastal waters of Lianga Bay in Barobo Surigao del Sur in the Philippines. The scientific identity of this species is not yet known, but it appears to be in the genus ''

Spondylus ''Spondylus'' is a genus of bivalve molluscs, the only genus in the family (biology), family Spondylidae.MolluscaBase (2019). MolluscaBase. Spondylus Linnaeus, 1758. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies ...

'', the thorny oysters. "" is a name in the local dialect, derived from its external appearance, which supposedly resembles the ‘ankle of an ape’. This

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 ...

is considered to be delicious and is a favorite seafood source in Barobo and adjacent municipalities of

Surigao del Sur Surigao del Sur (Surigaonon language, Surigaonon: ''Probinsya nan Surigao del Sur''; ceb, Habagatang Surigao; tl, Timog Surigao), officially the Province of Surigao del Sur, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located ...

. The Bureau of Agricultural Research and

Surigao del Sur State University North Eastern Mindanao State University (NEMSU), formerly known as Surigao del Sur State University, is a state university, with its main campus in Tandag City, Surigao del Sur, Philippines and six satellite campuses in Cantilan, Lianga, Cagwait, ...

are working together in an attempt to develop a sustainable Tikod amo culturing technique, in order to decrease the excessive harvesting of this species in the wild.

References

Oysters Molluscs of the Philippines Bivalves of Asia Undescribed mollusc species {{Philippines-stub