Pinna nobilis Linnaeus, 1758 (giovanile)

3D Model

Pinna nobilis, commonly called “castanets” is the largest bivalve in the Mediterranean Sea.

It lives mainly in the meadows of Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile, where it often represents the only hard substrate in the middle of shifting bottoms, on which numerous species of the benthos sessile.

Pinna nobilis grows rapidly during the first few years of life, then slows down the rate of growth in older age. Individuals can reach a shell height of 120 cm and live up to 50 years.

Pinna nobilis is threatened by multiple factors such as marine pollution and intensive harvesting by humans. In recent years, the species has also experienced mass die-offs, due to a parasitic protozoan, Haplosporidium pinnae, and the presence of other pathogens.

The specimen depicted here is part of the zoological collections of the DISTAV, of the University of Genoa and has a length of about 10 cm and an age of about 1 year.