Pearl Oysters
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Mollusca Class: Bivalvia Order: Pterioida Family: Pteriidae Genus: Pinctada
Species
See text. For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... Animalia redirects here. ... Classes Caudofoveata Aplacophora Polyplacophora Monoplacophora Bivalvia Scaphopoda Gastropoda Cephalopoda † Rostroconchia The mollusks or molluscs are the large and diverse phylum Mollusca, which includes a variety of familiar creatures well-known for their decorative shells or as seafood. ... Orders Subclass Anomalosdesmata Pholadomyoida Subclass Heterodonta - clams, zebra mussels †Cycloconchidae Hippuritoida †Lyrodesmatidae Myoida †Redoniidae Veneroida Subclass Paleoheterodonta Trigonioida; see Superfamily Trigoniacea Unionoida - freshwater mussels Subclass Protobranchia Nuculoida †Praecardioida Solemyoida Subclass Pteriomorphia - oysters, mussels Arcoida Mytiloida Ostreoida Pterioida Bivalves are mollusks belonging to the class Bivalvia. ... Families Isognomonidae Malleidae Pinnidae Pteriidae Pulvinidae Pterioida is an order of bivalves. ... Genera Pinctada Pteria Pteriidae is a family of bivalves. ...

The Pearl Oysters are the genus Pinctada of bivalve molluscs. They are classified in the family Pteriidae. They are not closely related to the edible oysters of family Ostreidae. For other uses of the word, please see Genus (disambiguation). ... Orders Subclass Protobranchia Solemyoida Nuculoida Subclass Pteriomorphia - oysters Arcoida Mytiloida Pterioida Subclass Paleoheterodonta - mussels Trigoinoida Unionoida Subclass Heterodonta - clams, zebra mussels Veneroida Myoida Subclass Anomalosdesmata Pholadomyoida Animals of the Class Bivalvia are known as bivalves because they typically have two-part shells, with both parts being more or less symmetrical. ... Classes Caudofoveata Aplacophora Polyplacophora Monoplacophora Bivalvia Scaphopoda Gastropoda Cephalopoda † Rostroconchia The mollusks or molluscs are the large and diverse phylum Mollusca, which includes a variety of familiar creatures well-known for their decorative shells or as seafood. ... In biological classification, family (Latin: familia, plural familiae) is 1) a rank or 2) a taxon in that rank. ... Genera Pinctada Pteria Pteriidae is a family of bivalves. ... Crassostrea gigas, Marennes-Oléron Crassostrea gigas, Marennes-Oléron Crassostrea gigas, Marennes-Oléron, opened The name oyster is used for a number of different groups of mollusks which grow for the most part in marine or brackish water. ... Genera Crassostrea Hyotissa Lopha Ostrea Saccostrea et al The members of the family Ostreidae are the true oysters, and include all the species that are commonly eaten under the title oyster. They do not include the Pearl Oysters; these species are only distantly related to the true oysters, since although...

All members of the genus share the physiological properties that lead to the production of large pearls of commercial value, and attempts have been made to harvest pearls commercially from many of the species. However the only species that are currently of significant commercial interest are: Strand of akoya pearls from China A pearl is a hard, rounded object produced by certain animals, primarily mollusks such as oysters. ... In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biodiversity. ... In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biodiversity. ...

• Gulf Pearl Oyster, Pinctada radiata; Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea
• Black-lip Oyster, Pinctada margaritifera; Persian Gulf and southwestern part of Indian Ocean; Australia; Fiji; Tahiti; Myanmar; Baja California; Gulf of Mexico
• White-lip Oyster or Gold-lip oyster, P. maxima; Australia; Fiji; Tahiti; Myanmar; Philippines
• Japanese Pearl Oyster or Akoya Pearl Oyster, P. fucata (also called P. imbricata), Red Sea; Sri Lanka; Persian Gulf; Indian Ocean; Western Pacific Ocean; Australia; China;
• Shark Bay Pearl Oyster P. albina; Australia

The different species produce different types of pearls. Black South Sea Pearls, or Tahitian pearls come from the Black-lip oyster; White and Golden South Sea pearls from the White-lip and Golden-lip oysters; and Akoya cultured pearls from the Japanese pearl oyster. Map of the Persian Gulf. ... Location of the Red Sea The Red Sea is an inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. ... Composite satellite image of the Mediterranean Sea. ... Map of the Persian Gulf. ...

Pearls are also obtained in commercial quantities from some species of the related winged oyster genus Pteria, and also from the freshwater mussel species Hyriopsis schlegeli. Though also a bivalve, this last species is unrelated to the oysters.

Species list

• Shark Bay Pearl Oyster, Pinctada albina
• Pinctada atropurpurea
• Pinctada chemnitzi
• Japanese Pearl Oyster or Akoya Pearl Oyster, Pinctada fucata
• Pinctada laosensis
• Pinctada maculata
• Black-lip Oyster, Pinctada margaritifera
• Pinctada martensi
• White-lip Oyster or Gold-lip oyster, Pinctada maxima
• Pinctada nigra
• Gulf Pearl Oyster, Pinctada radiata
• Pinctada virens

External links

• Scientific Classification of Pearl-Producing Mollusks
• Common commercial pearl-oysters
• OBIS Indo-Pacific Molluscan Database entry for Pinctada
• List of types of pearls with the oyster that produces them