• Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Mollusca
  • Class: Bivalvia
  • Order: Pectinoida
  • Family: Pectinidae
  • Scientific name: Mimachlamys varia
  • Norwegian: urskjell

Characteristics:

This a medium sized scallop. The oval shell is not exceeding 7 cm in diameter. It has 25-30 bold, radial ribs. A characteristic feature for adult individuals are the spines on the ribs. The variegated scallop comes in a wide range of color shades from off-white, through yellow and orange, to brown and red.

Habitat:

The juveniles are often attached to the substrate or algae, using its byssus threads, while adults are free-swimming. It is usually found from the subtidal zone and down to 100 meters depth.

Distribution:

The variegated scallop is widespread in the East Atlantic Ocean, from Norway to the South-Africa, including the British Isles and the Azores.