Any of a family of marine bivalve mollusks (Pectinidae, especially the genus Pecten). This family has about 50 genera and subgenera, and more than 400 species. They are distributed worldwide, from the intertidal zone to the deep sea. The shell is fan-shaped, but the hinge line is straight, and the hinge has wing-like projections at both ends. They are about 2.5-15 cm in size. The shell is smooth or has radial ribs. The ribs are smooth, scaly, or tuberculate, and are bright red, purple, orange, yellow, or white. The lower shell is lighter and smoother.
There is a large adductor muscle. The mantle has eyes and short tentacles on the edge, which can sense changes in water quality and are located between the two shells like a curtain when the shell is open. Scallops are commonly found in sand or fine gravel in clean seawater. They feed on microorganisms. They collect food particles and move them into their mouths with cilia and mucus. They can swim, and the bivalves intermittently beat against each other, spraying water, which propels them forward by the reaction force. The eggs and sperm are released into the water for fertilization. The hatched larvae swim freely, and then they are fixed to the bottom of the water for development. Some can crawl and move. The larvae then form foot glands to fix on other objects. Some live attached to other objects for life, while others swim freely in the middle of the process.
Starfish are its most important enemy. They will surround it with their arms, use their tube feet to suck it to open the shell, and turn their stomachs out to digest the soft meat inside the shell. Primitive people eat scallops and use shells as utensils. In the Middle Ages, the pattern of the shell of the pilgrim scallop (P. Jacobus) became a religious symbol (Chapter of St. James). The large adductor muscle of the scallop is edible, and the main production areas are northeast of Georges Bank in Massachusetts and the Bay of Fundy (New Brunswick-Nova Scotia). Sea scallops (Placopecten magellanicus, giant scallops, deep-sea scallops) are native to New England and eastern Canada. Other common species include bay scallops (Aequipecten irradians) and scallops (A. opercularis). They are edible shellfish in the British Isles and are also used as bait.
Scallops have two shells that are almost equal in size. The shell surface is generally purple-brown, light brown, yellow-brown, reddish-brown, apricot yellow, gray-white, etc. Its shell is very similar to the fan surface, so it naturally got the name scallop. The inside of the shell is white, and the muscle inside the shell is the edible part. Scallops have only one adductor muscle, so they belong to the mono-columnar class. The adductor muscle is white, tender, delicious, and rich in nutrition. The adductor muscle is dried and is called "dried scallops", which is listed as one of the eight delicacies.
It is widely distributed in various seas around the world, with the most abundant species in tropical seas. About 45 species have been found in China, among which the northern Chlamys farreri the southern Chlamys farreri, and the long-ribbed Sun Moon Shell are important economic species.
Scallop classification
Scallops belong to the phylum Mollusca, class Lamellibranchia, subclass Pterimorphia, order Pterioida and family Pectinidae.
Scallop habits
Scallops are filter-feeding animals that can select the size of food but not the species. Food of suitable size is sent into the mouth with the swing of cilia, and unsuitable particles are discharged from the ventral groove of the foot. Its food intake is related to the water filtration speed, which is the lowest at 1-3 a.m. Therefore, the food intake is the largest at night. The main food is organic debris, microparticles suspended in seawater, and plankton, such as diatoms, dinoflagellate algae, copepods, etc.; followed by algae spores, bacteria, etc. The composition of its food species is consistent with the species in the environment.
Scallops, like mussels and pearl oysters, also use their byssus to attach themselves to shallow sea rocks or sandy seabeds. Generally, the right shell is at the bottom and the left shell is at the top. They are usually not very active, but when they feel the environment is not suitable, they can take the initiative to shed their byssus and swim in a smaller range. Especially young scallops, use their shells to quickly open and close to drain water and swim very fast, which is quite special among bivalves.
Utilization value
Scallops are generally not exposed when the sea water is low tide, so it is more troublesome to catch them. In the coastal areas of my country, scallops are mainly caught in the north, and only Dongchu Island, slightly north of Shidao Island in Shandong Province, and Changshan Island in the Bohai Sea are the most famous.
Dishes made with scallops Scallop shells have various colors and neat and beautiful ribs, which are good materials for making shell carving crafts. People who work, travel, or recuperate at the seaside like to collect some scallop shells as souvenirs for friends. Scallops are delicious and nutritious. They are as famous as sea cucumbers and abalone and are listed as the three major treasures of seafood. The adductor muscle of scallops is well developed and is the main raw material for making dried scallops. Since the 1970s, my country has artificially cultivated scallops in the coastal areas of Shandong and Liaoning. Artificial cultivation of scallops can shorten the maturation period of scallops, increase the yield, and make harvesting more convenient.