Spondylus tenellus
Species of mollusc
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Spondylus tenellus, the scarlet thorny oyster or southern thorny oyster, is a bivalve in the thorny oyster family distributed along the coast of Australia.[2]
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| Spondylus tenellus | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Pectinida |
| Family: | Spondylidae |
| Genus: | Spondylus |
| Species: | S. tenellus |
| Binomial name | |
| Spondylus tenellus Reeve, 1856 | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Taxonomy
Description
The scarlet thorny oyster is rose-scarlet, with pale areas and spines that grow out of the shell ridges.[4] Individuals range in size from 2 to 200 mm (0.08 to 7.87 in).[1] Spondylus tenellus often has a significant amount of marine growth on its shell, such as algae and sponges. This growth protects the thorny oyster from the effects of direct sunlight, with individuals lacking adequate encrustation displaying serious erosion.[5]
Distribution and habitat
The scarlet thorny oyster has been recorded on Australian coastlines generally but is particularly concentrated in the southeast, being the only thorny oyster species recorded in the southern coasts.[2][6] It can be found at depths of 10 to 150 m (30 to 490 ft), and lives attached to the substrate or free on the sea floor, favouring silty areas with a current.[7]
Life history
The southern thorny oyster is typically anchored to substrate by its right valve- for this reason, shells that wash up on the beach are usually left valves.[4]
The southern thorny oyster has a relatively fragile shell, and is prone to predation upon by muricid snails that drill through the exposed part of the right hinge plate.[6]