Pinctada vulgaris

The genus Pinctada belongs to the Pteriidae family of marine bivalve mollusks, which includes saltwater oysters. Nacre, sometimes referred to as the “mother of pearl,” makes up the robust inner shell layer of these pearl oysters.Neither the freshwater pearl mussels of the Unionidae and Margaritiferidae families nor the edible oysters of the Ostreidae family are closely related to pearl oysters. Tahitian and South Sea pearls are cultivated using Pinctada maxima and Pinctada margaritifera.They are widely cultivated, mostly in the eastern and central Indo-Pacific. The back of the Philippine 1,000 peso note has a pearl oyster.

Contents hide

1) Classification of Pinctada vulgaris

2) Habit and habitat

3) Distribution

4) Comments on of Pinctada vulgaris

5) Economic importance

6) Identification

Classification of Pinctada vulgaris

Phylum	Mollusca	Soft bodied, non-metameric, shelled.
Class	Pelecypoda	Bivalve shell
Order	Pseudolamellibranchiata	Gills form vertical folds
Genus	Pinctada

Habit and habitat

Pinctada lives in the Gulf of California and in West Indian sea water.

Distribution

It has wide distribution except in cold zones. It is very common in the Gulf of Kutch. Tropical and temperate seas, Pacific and Atlantic coast.

Comments on of Pinctada vulgaris

Commonly called as pearl oyster.
Shell valves are unequal and the hinge line is straight, produced at each end into a short ear or wing like process.
Left shell is large, convex and permanently attached to rocks by a strong cable of byssal threads.
Right shell is smaller and thinner and covers viscera. Surface of the shell is coarse, irregular and ruffled and bears radiating bands terminating at the margins into finger like projections, which may disappear in order specimens.
Like Pecten, there is a single adductor muscle.
Right and left mantle lobes are quite free.
Pearl oysters feed in the same manner as clams.

Economic importance

Oyster’s shell secretes pearls whenever any insect enters the shell and causes irritation. They are cultivated in pearl oyster industry. Most of our germ pearls are obtained from pearl oyster.

Identification

Since the specimen contains ear like processes and all above features, hence it is Pinctada vulgaris.

See Other Posts Also