The Ostreidae, the true oysters, include most species of molluscs commonly consumed as oysters. Pearl oysters are not true oysters, and belong to the order

Pteriida The Pteriida are an order of large and medium-sized marine bivalve mollusks. It includes five families, among them the Pteriidae (pearl oysters and winged oysters). 2010 taxonomy In 2010, a new proposed classification system for the Bivalvia ...

. Like

scallop Scallop () is a common name that encompasses various species of marine bivalve mollusks in the taxonomic family Pectinidae, the scallops. However, the common name "scallop" is also sometimes applied to species in other closely related families ...

s, true oysters have a central

adductor muscle A adductor muscle is any muscle that causes adduction. It may refer to: Humans * Adductor muscles of the hip, the most common reference in humans, but may also refer to ** Adductor brevis muscle, a muscle in the thigh situated immediately behind ...

, which means the shell has a characteristic central scar marking its point of attachment. The shell tends to be irregular as a result of attaching to a substrate. Both

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...

(egg-bearing) and

larviparous Among animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. This is opposed to oviparity which is a reproductive mode in which females lay developing eggs that complete their development and hatch externally from the m ...

(larvae-bearing) species are known within Ostreidae. Both types are

hermaphrodite In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes. Many Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrate ...

s. However, the larviparous species show a pattern of alternating sex within each individual, whereas the oviparous species are simultaneous

s, producing either female or male gametes according to circumstances. Members of genus '' Ostrea'' generally live continually immersed and are quite flat, with roundish shells. They differ from most bivalves by having shells completely made up of

calcite Calcite is a Carbonate minerals, carbonate mineral and the most stable Polymorphism (materials science), polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). It is a very common mineral, particularly as a component of limestone. Calcite defines hardness 3 on ...

, but with internal muscle scars of

aragonitic Aragonite is a carbonate mineral, one of the three most common naturally occurring crystal forms of calcium carbonate, (the other forms being the minerals calcite and vaterite). It is formed by biological and physical processes, including pre ...

composition. They fare best in somewhat oligotrophic water. They brood their fertilized eggs for various proportions of the period from fertilization to hatching. Members of genera '' Saccostrea'', ''

Magallana ''Magallana'' is a genus of true oysters (family Ostreidae) containing some of the most important oysters used for food. Species in this genus have been moved from ''Crassostrea'' after it was found to be paraphyletic. Species Extant species ...

'', and '' Crassostrea'' generally live in the

intertidal zone The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species o ...

, broadcast sperm and eggs into the sea, and can thrive in eutrophic water. One of the most commonly cultivated oysters is the Pacific oyster, which is ideally suited for cultivation in seawater ponds.

Genera and species

* '' Alectryonella'' * '' Agerostrea'' Vialov 1936 * '' Anomiostrea'' * '' Booneostrea'' * '' Crassostrea''

Sacco Sacco may refer to: * Sacco (clothing) (also Sakko), a type of jacket * Sacco (river), a river of central Italy * Sacco, Campania, a comune (municipality) in southern Italy * Sacco chair, by Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini, Franco Teodoro * Ospedal ...

1897 (27 species) * ''

'' Salvi & Mariottini 2016 ** ''

Magallana angulata ''Magallana'' is a genus of true oysters (family Ostreidae) containing some of the most important oysters used for food. Species in this genus have been moved from '' Crassostrea'' after it was found to be paraphyletic. Species Extant species ...

'' ( Lamarck, 1819)Bouchet, P.; Marshall, B. (2016). Magallana Salvi & Mariottini, 2016. In: MolluscaBase (2017). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=836032 on 2017-12-22 ** '' M. ariakensis'' (

Fujita Fujita (written: , or ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese handball player *, Japanese long-distance runner *Aya Fujita (born 1987), Japanese shogi player *Emi Fujita (born 1963), Japanese singer *, Japanes ...

, 1913) ** '' M. belcheri'' ( G. B. Sowerby II, 1871) ** '' M. bilineata'' ( Röding, 1798) ** '' M. dactylena'' ( Iredale, 1939) ** '' M. gigas'' ( Thunberg, 1793) ** '' M. hongkongensis'' (

Lam Lam or LAM may refer to: Organizations * Laguna Art Museum, California, US * Lam Eng Rubber, a Malaysian manufacturer * Lam Research, American semiconductor equipment company * LAM Mozambique Airlines, flag carrier airline of Mozambique * Librar ...

& Morton, 2003) ** '' M. nippona'' ( Seki, 1934) ** '' M. revularis'' (

Gould Gould may refer to: People * Gould (name), a surname Places United States * Gould, Arkansas, a city * Gould, Colorado, an unincorporated community * Gould, Ohio, an unincorporated community * Gould, Oklahoma, a town * Gould, West Virginia, a ...

, 1861) ** '' M. sikamea'' ( Amemiya, 1928) * '' Cryptostrea'' Harry 1985 (

synonymous A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

with '' Ostrea''Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2017). Cryptostrea Harry, 1985. In: MolluscaBase (2017). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=415253 on 2017-12-21 ** '' C. permollis'' G.B.Sowerby II 1871 - sponge oyster * '' Dendostrea'' Swainson 1835 (12 species) ** '' D. frons'' L. 1758 - frond oyster **''

D. sandvicensis D. or d. may refer to, usually as an abbreviation: * Don (honorific), a form of address in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and their former overseas empires, usually given to nobles or other individuals of high social rank. * Date of death, as an abbreviati ...

'' (G.B.Sowerby II )1871 - Hawaiian oyster * ''

Lopha ''Lopha'' is a genus of marine bivalve molluscs in the family Ostreidae. The genus ''Lopha'' is present from the Triassic period in the Lower Norian age (216.5 ± 2.0 – 203.6 ± 1.5 Mya) to the recent age. Description ''Lopha'' species ha ...

'' Röding 1798 ** '' L. cristagalli'' L. cockscomb oyster ** '' L. frons'' L. 1758 * '' Nanostrea'' * ''

Nicaisolopha ''Nicaisolopha'' is a genus of true oysters. Fossil record Fossils of ''Nicaisolopha'' are found in marine strata from Late Cretaceous to Quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Er ...

'' Vyalov 1936 * '' Ostrea'' L. 1758 (approx. 120 species) * '' Planostrea'' * '' Pretostrea'' * '' Pustulostrea'' * '' Saccostrea'' (11 species) * ''

Striostrea ''Striostrea'' is a genus of bivalves belonging to the family Ostreidae. The genus has almost cosmopolitan distribution In biogeography, cosmopolitan distribution is the term for the range of a taxon that extends across all or most of the wo ...

'' ** '' S. margariacea'' Lamarck 1819 - sand oyster ** '' S. denticulata''

Born Born may refer to: * Childbirth * Born (surname), a surname (see also for a list of people with the name) * ''Born'' (comics), a comic book limited series Places * Born, Belgium, a village in the German-speaking Community of Belgium * Born, Luxe ...

1778 ** '' S. prismatica'' Gray 1825 * '' Teskeyostrea'' Harry 1985 ** '' T. weberi''

Olsson Olsson is a common Swedish surname. It is a contraction of the surname Olofsson and it literally means "son of Olof" and seldom also "son of Ola". Notable people with the surname include: * Åke Olsson - Swedish football player * Åke Olsson (ch ...

1951 - threaded oyster, Weber oyster

References

{{Authority control Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque Bivalve genera