Pinna nobilis Linnaeus, 1758 protected
Mediterranean.
Suspension feeder, vertically buried in soft sediments, often in Posidonia fields or Cymodocea and Zostera meadows, from shallow water down to circa 50m deep.
Juvenile: Catania, E. Sicily, 50mm.
Growth series from juvenile to subadult, in J. G. Hidalgo: Moluscos marinos de España, Portugal y las Baleares, Madrid 1870, via BHL.
Very young: Općina Sali, Dugi Otog, Zadar Comitat, Croatia.
Original picture provided by G. Hoese for iNaturalist.
– (CC BY-NC) –
Young: 4m deep, in sand, gravel and mud, Ostriconi bay, Isola Rossa, NW. Corsica. 94mm.
A bit older: Pinna nobilis in L. A. Reeve: Conchologia iconica vol.I, London 1859, via BHL.
Adult. 8m deep, dead in its hole amidst other living Pen shells, buried in mud and gravel, in hollows and crevices, eastern limestone bank between Trachilos and Kissamos, east of Chania, NW. Crete. 295mm. Now in Alton Castle collection.
Adult specimen in G. J. Bruguière: Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique vol.II, Paris 1791, via BHL.
Adult. Cap l’Abeille, Banyuls, Eastern Pyrenees, S. France.
Original picture provided by P. Corbrion for iNaturalist.
– (CC BY-NC) –
Old adult (650mm) and subadult (on top-left: 152mm).
No more scales on old timers. Ex coll. Annie Bombeke (FR).
 
As the shell varies a lot while aging, the number of synonyms is rather large: angustana, cornuformis, ensiformis, incurvata, squamosa, vitrea… Numerous also are the named forms: dilatata, nana, pisciformis, rarisquama etc.
Gerontic specimen in H. C. Küster: “Die Familie Malleacea”, Systematisches Conchylien-Cabinet Bd.8:Abt.1, Nürnberg 1891, via BHL.
Adult specimen losing its spatulae, in G. Poli: Testacea utriusque Siciliae… t. IV Atlas, Parma 1791-1796, via BHL.
In shallow water, Leucate lagoon, Occitania, S. France.
Original picture provided by A. Bertrand (FR).
(CC BY-NC-SA)

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