Habitat 
Depth 
Group 
Role WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
The Mediterranean scallop has unequal valves: the creamy convex right valve supports the animal, while the left is flat and usually brown. Hinge ears are equal. Fourteen to sixteen angular radiating ribs structure the shell. Numerous eyes and sensory tentacles line the mantle. Maximum length is around fifteen centimetres.
WHERE DOES IT LIVE?
Mediterranean sand, shell sand and mud are principal substrates, with usual 15–50 m encounters in DORIS. The top valve may carry algae, bryozoans, tube worms, barnacles or other attached organisms. Epibionts use support without automatically parasitising their host. Cover can hide ribs without changing species identity.
WHAT DOES IT EAT?
It filters plankton and other organic particles from the water, including microscopic algae. Water passing through the shell brings this food to its gills.
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