PEARL OYSTER

(Redirected from Pearl oysters)

'Pinctada', or 'pearl oysters', are bivalve molluscs of the genus ''Pinctada'' in the family Pteriidae. They are not closely related to the edible oysters of family Ostreidae.
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:

★ 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.
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 cumingii''. Though also a bivalve, this last species is unrelated to the oysters.

Contents

Species list

External links

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 molluscs

★ Common commercial pearl-oysters

★ OBIS Indo-Pacific molluscan database entry for ''Pinctada''

★ List of types of pearls with the oyster that produces them