Bivalves
Family Pectinidae & Propeamussidae
Pectinidae
Barkley Sound, BC
off Vancouver Is., BC
Delectopecten vancouverensis (Whiteaves, 1893)
Vancouver Scallop
subtidal, 27 - 4100m size to 45mm
northern Mexico to southern Alaska and northern Japan to Kamchatka
The shell is colorless and translucent with imbricated sculpturing. Smooth specimens are sometimes referred to as D. tillamookensis.
(synonym - Pecten randolphi)
Chlamys hastata (Sowerby, 1842)
Spiny Pink Scallop
intertidal to150m southern California to northern Alaska size to 83mm
Tiny live juveniles can be occasionally seen in tidepools,
otherwise the occasional single adult valve may wash ashore. The upper shell is usually pink with some white radial streaks and the lower shell is pale. The ribs are raised and covered in sharp spines, particularly in the specimens found south of Puget Sound. An alternate name, Chlamys h. hericia, is sometimes used to describe specimens north of Washington which tend to have more subdued ribs. These geographic subspecies are then referred to as Chlamys hastata hastata (Sowerby, 1842) and Chlamys hastata hericia (Gould, 1850).
The color can occasionally be shades of yellow to orangish and
infrequently, white. Live specimens are frequently covered with sponge
growth.
all Anacortes, WA, intertidal
Crassadoma gigantea (Gray, 1825)
Purple-hinged or Giant Rock Scallop
intertidal to 80m northern Mexico to northern Alaska size to 25cm
This
can be found at very low tides, both in the juvenile swimming form and
as an adult attached the undersides of rocks. The juveniles can be
mistaken for the Chlamys species. The rock scallop juveniles tend to be yellow or orange, while the Chlamys
juveniles tend to be pinkish, although all the species can be a range
of colors. The rock scallop juvenile is also wider and has more robust
sculpturing. The purple stain on the interior of the hinge is
very distinctive and is present even in the juveniles. The older
adult specimens are generally heavily encrusted and come to resemble
the rocks.
(synonyms - Hinnites giganteus, Hinnites multirugosus, Chlamys gigantea)
Unalaska Island, AK
Parvamussium alaskense (Dall, 1871)
Alaska Glass-Scallop
subtidal, 15-1530m size to 25mm
southern California to northern Alaska; Bering Sea to northern Japan
This
fragile shell has closely spaced commarginal ribs. The right valve is
smaller than the left.
(previous name - Pecten alaskensis)
This page last revised: 5-25-2019
Propeamussiidaewell offshore, central BC coastCyclopecten davidsoni (Dall, 1897)Salmon Glass-Scallopsubtidal, 146-650m size to 15mmnorth Oregon to south Bering SeaThe left valve is usually a salmon color.(previous name - Propeamussium davidsoni, Pecten davidsoni)
Click on photo to enlarge. Scale line in photo equals 1cm unless otherwise specified.
* Species which are commonly encountered on the beach.