Pinctada imbricata Roding, 1798
Atlantic pearl-oyster
Pinctada imbricata
photo by O'Keefe, Jo

Family:  Margaritidae ()
Max. size:  8.8 cm SHL (male/unsexed); max. reported age: 8 years
Environment:  benthic; marine; depth range 0 - 30 m
Distribution:  Western Atlantic: From South Carolina to Uruguay.
Diagnosis:  Shell roundish, thin, flattened to moderately inflated, inequivalve. Hinge with 2 wing-like projections, posterior projection shorter than that of Pteria colymbus. Periostracum with flat, scale-like projections aligned concentrically. Colour: externally tan, brown, or purplish, with greenish cast, internally nacreous.
Biology:  Maximum depth from Ref. 85431. Lives attached to rocks or other hard substrates, in shallow subtidal depths. Small live specimens found in rock-pools between tide-marks (Ref. 88739). Common in coralline bottoms (Ref. 128042).
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. 123251)
Threat to humans: 
Country info:   
 

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