Ostrea stentina Payraudeau, 1826
Galicia to Cameroon (where was described an Ostrea guineensis), Canarias to Mediterranean, Gulf of St-Lawrence to Antilles (under the taxon Ostrea equestris), Mascarenhas, New Zealand (Ostrea aupouria)…
Original taxon: Ostrea stentina. Syns: curvata, parenzani.
1m deep, Chioggia, Venezia, NE. Italy. 49mm.
« Ostrea stentina : The most marked feature is the strong crenellation of the margins; the teeth interlock with each other; the species binds to shells in preference to other bodies; I often found it on Fusus lignarius. » – B. C. Payraudeau: Catalogue des Annélides et des Mollusques de Corse, Paris 1826, via BHL.
Many synonyms. Among them, capsa could become the right epithet, as it was given in 1807 by Fischer von Waldheim. Awaiting a declaration of the ICZN, stentina remains in use.
Above, a specimen from New Zealand. Uretiti Beach, Whangarei area, North Island, 48mm.

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