Loading AI tools
Species of bivalve mollusc From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pholas dactylus, or common piddock, is a bioluminescent clam-like species of marine mollusc in the family Pholadidae.
Pholas dactylus | |
---|---|
Shell of Pholas dactylus from Sicily on display at the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Bivalvia |
Order: | Myida |
Family: | Pholadidae |
Genus: | Pholas |
Species: | P. dactylus |
Binomial name | |
Pholas dactylus | |
Synonyms[1] | |
|
The piddock bores into the substrate for shelter, and lives in a tubular burrow formed by grinding the material away with hard parts of the shell by rotating on the longitudinal axis. It has been known to bore into the hard metamorphic rock gneiss, though it more often lives in softer rock. It is a filter feeder, using its siphons to reach the water outside the burrow. It was once a highly esteemed food in Europe.[2][1]
It is sensitive to light, retracting into its shell when exposed to it.[3]
The coasts of the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea.
Pliny spoke of luminescence in the mouths of people who ate Pholas, the rock-boring shell-fish, and of such importance is this phenomenon that it is even said to have gained the first king of Scotland his throne.[4] Hippolytus of Rome tells us that it was a common pagan trick to use the luminescent property of this clam to create the illusion of burning, "And they accomplish the burning of a house, by daubing it over with the juice of a certain fish called dactylus."[5]
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.