Chamelea gallina

The Mussel (Chamelea gallina), here with a small coelenterate on the shell, is a known edible bivalve present in Mediterranean, Caspian Sea and eastern Atlantic. It lives on the sandy bottoms up to 15 m of depth filtering the organic material in suspension. The shell that may reach the 4,5 cm, cannot be fished if not measuring at least 2,5 cm, size reached around the 2-3 years of life. Surely it is not a rarity for collectors but also this bivalve has its own moderate elegance with concentric ribs and brown or violet drawings on clear background © Giuseppe Mazza