Philippe Bourjon, Frankreich
Info
The pearl oyster Pinctada radiata is collected in many areas of the Indo-Pacific for its edible muscle, its mother-of-pearl shell and its ability to form pearls.
It attaches itself to rocks, dead coral and various submerged objects with its byssus threads and often forms large natural banks.
On soft bottoms, the oysters attach themselves to each other.
Pinctada radiata is one of the first introduced molluscs (Lesseps' migrant) to be recorded in the Mediterranean and its sudden and widespread spread, initially in the eastern Mediterranean around Egypt, Israel, Lebanon and Syria, is still a mystery.
More recently, it has also been detected in Italy, where it is considered to be common along the entire Sicilian coast.
First records from Croatia have also been confirmed.
The impact of the spread of the radiated pearl oyster on native species is currently being investigated.
The mussel probably spread from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal both naturally and through human activity (Zenetos et al., 2004).
In 1992, the clam made headlines again when it was described as an epibiont on the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758) (First record of Pinctada radiata (Bivalvia, Pteriidae) epibiont on the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta (Chelonia, Cheloniidae)).
Synonyms:
Avicula radiata Leach, 1814 · unaccepted (original combination)
Avicula radiata Deshayes, 1830 · unaccepted > junior homonym (and synonym)
Meleagrina conemenosi Monterosato, 1884 · unaccepted > nomen nudum
Meleagrina occa (Reeve, 1857) sensu Pallary, 1912 · unaccepted > misapplication
Meleagrina radiata (Deshayes, 1830) · unaccepted > junior homonym (and synonym, with superseded...)
Meleagrina savignyi Monterosato, 1884 · unaccepted
Pinctada imbricata radiata (Leach, 1814) · unaccepted
It attaches itself to rocks, dead coral and various submerged objects with its byssus threads and often forms large natural banks.
On soft bottoms, the oysters attach themselves to each other.
Pinctada radiata is one of the first introduced molluscs (Lesseps' migrant) to be recorded in the Mediterranean and its sudden and widespread spread, initially in the eastern Mediterranean around Egypt, Israel, Lebanon and Syria, is still a mystery.
More recently, it has also been detected in Italy, where it is considered to be common along the entire Sicilian coast.
First records from Croatia have also been confirmed.
The impact of the spread of the radiated pearl oyster on native species is currently being investigated.
The mussel probably spread from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal both naturally and through human activity (Zenetos et al., 2004).
In 1992, the clam made headlines again when it was described as an epibiont on the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758) (First record of Pinctada radiata (Bivalvia, Pteriidae) epibiont on the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta (Chelonia, Cheloniidae)).
Synonyms:
Avicula radiata Leach, 1814 · unaccepted (original combination)
Avicula radiata Deshayes, 1830 · unaccepted > junior homonym (and synonym)
Meleagrina conemenosi Monterosato, 1884 · unaccepted > nomen nudum
Meleagrina occa (Reeve, 1857) sensu Pallary, 1912 · unaccepted > misapplication
Meleagrina radiata (Deshayes, 1830) · unaccepted > junior homonym (and synonym, with superseded...)
Meleagrina savignyi Monterosato, 1884 · unaccepted
Pinctada imbricata radiata (Leach, 1814) · unaccepted
