Atrina fragilis Fan mussel |
![]() Adult Atrina fragilis embedded in sea bed. Image width ca 150 cm in foreground. Image: Sue Scott |
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Phylum | Mollusca |
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Class | Pelecypoda |
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Habitat Information |
Lives embedded in lower intertidal and sub-tidal muds, sandy muds or gravels. |
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Species description |
Large (30-48 cm long) triangular, thin, shell tapering to a point, light yellow- brown to dark brown in colour. Fan-mussels live with their pointed end embedded in sediment, attached by abundant fine byssal threads. The posterior (broad) end protrudes from the surface. Often solitary but populations occur as small groups or patches of individuals forming small beds. |
![]() | PMF archive information |
Unavailable |
![]() | Species name is listed in the PMF at the following locations: |
>Eddystone (outer) Channel Grounds Queens Grounds and New Grounds Stoke Point Grounds The Salstone |
Links to the MarLIN Biology and Sensitivity Key-information pages | |||||
Taxonomy & Identification |
General Biology | Habitat Preference & Distribution | Sensitivity & Recoverability | Importance |