Antarctic scallop
Genus of bivalves / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Antarctic scallop (Adamussium colbecki) is a species of bivalve mollusc in the large family of scallops, the Pectinidae. It was thought to be the only species in the genus Adamussium until an extinct Pliocene species was described in 2016. Its exact relationship to other members of the Pectinidae is unclear. It is found in the ice-cold seas surrounding Antarctica, sometimes at great depths.
Antarctic scallop | |
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Antarctic scallop on the seabed under 5 meters of sea ice in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Bivalvia |
Order: | Pectinida |
Superfamily: | Pectinoidea |
Family: | Pectinidae |
Genus: | Adamussium |
Species: | A. colbecki |
Binomial name | |
Adamussium colbecki | |
Synonyms[1] | |
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Adamussium colbecki is a large, slow-growing scallop that lives on the seabed. The shell consists of a pair of ribbed calcareous valves which enclose the soft body and are joined by a ligament at a hinge. It feeds on microscopic green algae and is sometimes present in great numbers. It is able to move around by flapping its valves and to dart backwards to escape threats. The species is an important member of the Antarctic seabed community as the upper valve often acts as a substrate for seaweeds, sponges and other organisms. In addition, juveniles bind themselves by threads to the upper valve of older shells, using these as a base for several years as they grow. The adult scallops have been used in research to study the accumulation of heavy metals in marine organisms.