Crassostrea is a genus of true oysters (family Ostreidae) containing some of the most important oysters used for food.

Quick Facts Scientific classification, Species ...
Crassostrea
Temporal range: 145.5–0 Ma
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Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Ostreida
Family: Ostreidae
Genus: Crassostrea
Sacco, 1897[1]
Species

See text

Synonyms
  • Ostrea (Crassostrea) Dall, 1909
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The genus was recent split in WoRMS, following the DNA-based phylogenies of Salvi et al. (2014 and 2017). Pacific species were moved to a new genus Magallana. C. zhanjiangensis became Talonostrea zhanjiangensis.[2] The changes are not universally welcomed by oyster researchers, as C. gigas (now M. gigas) is "one of the most researched species of marine invertebrate".[3]

Species

Extant species

Extant species include:[4]

Fossil species

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Crassostrea gigantissima (Finch, 1824) from the Eocene of Texas.
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Crassostrea gigantissima (Finch, 1824) right valve interior (Eocene of Texas).

Fossil species include:[5]

  • Crassostrea alabamiensis (Lea 1833)
  • Crassostrea ashleyi (Hertlein 1943) (syn. Ostrea arnoldi)
  • Crassostrea cahobasensis (Pilsbry and Brown 1910)
  • Crassostrea contracta (Conrad 1865)
  • Crassostrea cucullaris (Lamarck 1819)
  • Crassostrea cuebana (Jung 1974)
  • Crassostrea elegans (Deshayes, 1832)[6] (syn. †Cubitostrea elegans Deshayes 1832 or Crassostrea (Cubitostrea) elegans)
  • Crassostrea gigantissima (Finch 1824) – Giant fossil oyster
  • Crassostrea gryphoides (Schlotheim 1813)
  • Crassostrea hatcheri (Ihering 1899)
  • Crassostrea ingens (Zittel 1864)
  • Crassostrea kawauchidensis (Tamura 1977)
  • Crassostrea patagonica (d'Orbigny 1842) (syn. Ostrea ferrarisi)
  • Crassostrea raincourti (Deshayes 1858)
  • Crassostrea titan (Conrad 1853) (syn. Ostrea prior, O. andersoni)
  • Crassostrea transitoria (Hupé 1854) (syn. Ostrea maxima)
  • Crassostrea wyomingensis[7]

Genetics

The genome of Crassostrea gigas (now Magallana gigas) has been recently sequenced revealing an extensive set of genes that enable it to cope with environmental stresses.[8]

References

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