Atlantic Wing Oyster
Pteria colymbus
A dark, winged bivalve with a pearly interior that grows attached to sea whips and gorgonians.
- Typical size
- 1.5–3 in
- How often it turns up
- Fairly common in drift
- Collecting
- Usually legal to collect
- Handling
- Safe to handle
Empty valves are fine to keep. Do not cut living colonies from sea whips.
How to tell it apart
- One long wing-like extension at the hinge
- Purplish brown outside, iridescent inside
- Thin, slightly warped valves
Found one?
Photograph it and BeachNut will rank the likely matches, then log it to your collection.
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