• Patella Site
• URL
• Hawaii:‘Opihi (Cellana) were eaten by early Hawaiians and are still a popular food item. But, because they inhabit some of the roughest parts of the coastline, they can be very dangerous to collect. Some research has been devoted to learning how to raise ‘opihi using aquaculture techniques.

• Cellana exarata
  (Reeve, 1854)
• Syn: Patella undatolirata
  (Reeve, 1854)
  

Hawaii: opihi; Hawaiian Limpet, Hawaiiand Blackfoot ‘opihi, (makaiauli)

• Cellana melanostoma
  (Pilsbry, 1891)

• Cellana sandwicensis
  Pease, 1861)

Hawaii: (`alinalina)

• Cellana talcosa
  (Gould A.A., 1846)

Hawaii: Talc Limpet (ko`ele),Turtle limpet

• Patella candei
  (d'Orbigny, 1840)

• Patella caerulea
  (Linné, 1758) l.var. subplana

• Patella ferruginea
  (Gmelin, 1791)
  Ribbed Mediterranean Limpet

• This occidental Mediterranean very large limpet, once upon a time abondant all along the northern Tunisian rocky shores, remains, to day, only on the islands, and specially on Zembra (golfe de Tunis) where it is in constant regression.

• Patella lugubris
  (Gmelin, J.F., 1791)

• Patella nigra
  (da Costa, 1771)

(= Cymbula squamata = guineensis = safiana = plumbea = algira = conspicua = albida = kraussii = adansonii)

• Patella rustica
  (Linnaeus, 1758)
  Rustic Limpet

• Patella ulyssiponensis
  (Gmelin, 1791)

China Limpet

• Siliqua patula
  (Dixon, 1788)

Razor clam
(Most other NE Pacific jacknife clams are in the F. Solenidae)

NE Pacific Razor clams:

• USA: There are extensive recreational fisheries along the sandy coasts
  of WA and ORE.
• Canada: We have a commercial fishery, intertidal digging, for razor calms on the surf-beaten north beaches of the Queen Charlotte Islands. Harvesters look for "shows" in the sand and use a special shovel ("clam gun" ) to quickly dig thme out without breaking the shell.
• Brittanic coast (North-France): the people there are catching the Razor clams for the consumption. They go at low tide with lowered eyes on the search after the two fine, narrow side by side lying holes, that leave the two siphons of the mussels in the dry-fallen bottom. One must behave very quietly, tread softly and also make no noise. If they find such a position, then the people scatter one teaspoon cook-salt on the two holes. The salt dissolves quickly in the moisture and leads to an escalate of the salt content in the water-rest in the tube, in which the mussels live.
  The mussels live in a vertical tube, in which they can climb with their in
  the end thickened foot quickly up and down. They are very sensitive for the
  change of the salt content in the water. First the mussel of the ascending
  too much salt tries to escape in that she climbs quickly downward. One
  recognize this by the little crater, that refines through the suction above.
  Since the doesn't help however, nothing other remains the mussel, as
  subsequent the escape to begin upward. She shoots upwards with it with such vehemence that their mussel-body until over the half from the ground
  out-steps. If one grabs quickly then, one can carry off the mussel.
• In recent years, there have been many closures to the harvest of razors, due
  to the ingestion of planktonic diatoms that produce domoic acid, the cause
  of "amnesic shellfish poisoning" illnesses.
• It is known as a speedy digger. Shells laid on top of the sand have completely buried themselves in less than seven seconds. This is accomplished by muscles in the foot which change shape due to the displacement of body fluids. When the foot is extended, fluid is squeezed out and the foot pushes into the sand. Next the tip of the foot swells up with body fluids and the whole foot contracts pulling the animal deeper into the substrate. These movements are repeated in rapid succession and it digs two to three cm/second.

• Pholas dactylus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Common piddock)

Other scientific names still of use : Pholas callosa Vat, 1817

They are distinguishable by their fan like shell which can grow up to 75cm/29 inches. But being large, the muscular meat is rather chewy, and although it can be prepared in the style of a scallop, is more suited for making soup, although in South East Asia, it's chopped and fried with coriander.Source of information

For excellent Pinnidae photos, See Femorale

• Atrina chautardi

• Atrina fragilis (Pennant, 1777) (brittle PEN Shell

Other scientific names still of use :Atrina pectinata (Linnaeus, 1767)
Pinna fragilis
(Pennant, 1777)

• Atrina maura

• Atrina pectinata

• Atrina tuberculosa

• Atrina vexillum

• Pinna bicolor

• Pinna nobilis (288)
  (Linnaeus, 1758) (Noble PEN Shell)

• Pinna muricata

• Pinna(Atrina) pectinate

• Pinna rudis Linnaeus, 1758 (Rough PEN Shell)

• Entemnotrochus rumphii

MOPALIIDAE
Chitons

• eater beware, as in other large grazers, the radula may be indigestible or at least an irritation to your gastric system
• Welcome to chitons.com

• Acanthopleura granulata
  (Gmelin, 1791))

• World's largest Chiton
• The foot of the Gumboot Chiton is sometimes eaten in the same manner as the abalone.
• Favorite Alaskan edible delicacy

• Placiphoropsis mercatoris

• Telescopium telescopium

NOTE of interest: from Darwin Northern Territory, Australia, a friend of mine says that for a few years now he has been in the habit of eating this shellfish.The main reason he has continued to do this is that about a couple of days after eating them he has noticed a reduction of his arthritis symptoms.
The local aboriginals eat them a lot. (my friend says they eat them after a drinking session as a hangover cure).
Our local noame for Telescopium telescopium is LONG BUMS.

Note of Interest: Telescopium are also sold in quantities on markets throughout the Philippines – apparently the people like them here.

• Nuttallia obscurata is believed to have arrived in the Strait of Georgia region (near Vancouver, British Columbia) in ballast water (a by-product of shipping) in the late 1980s.
• The varnish clam (named for the shiny shell finish that occasionally peels off like varnish) is a thin but attractively shelled clam, which, when steamed for a few minutes, offers a clean, white meat nearly as good as that of the razor clam.
  
• Pacific Canada: a new fishery for varnish clams or purple mahogany clam, under the registered product name of "savoury clam"is now in existance.
  
• Korea, Japan, B.C. &WA: the varnish clam is harvested commercially from Aquaculture leases and in wild clam fisheries
• Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada Bulletin on Varnish Clams. (PDF file)
• Do not confuse this new arrival with the mahogany clams often sold in American or Canadian markets which are often juvenile Arctica islandica, or Atlantic Ocean Quahogs. Varnish clams have a shiny brown outer coat and the usually purple-colored inside surface and is fairly flat.
  • Name Problematic: The "Savoury Clams" or Nuttallia obscurata (a species new to the North American market), is also known as purple varnish clams and purple mahogany clams. the FSPD has recognized that the name "varnish clams" would not appeal to consumers, and that the name "mahogany clams" is already being used for juvenile Arctica islandica in the US.

• Nuttallia nuttallii
• Syn: Sanguinolaria nuttallii

Purple Clam

• Solecurtus divaricatus

• Pinctada maxima
  (Jameson, 1901)

Gold-lip oyster, silver lip oyster; White South Sea pearl oyster

The Pinctada maxima is the biggest pearl-bearing oyster and it grows from 13 cm to 30 cm in diameter. It is found naturally in the Philippines, Australia, Indonesia and Burma. It can produce pearls ranging from 9 mm to 37 mm. It takes three years for this oyster to grow large enough to produce a pearl and then it takes another two to three more years more for it to nurture a pearl.

• P.maxima is a specialty in certain Australian and Chinese restaurants. It can cost about US $500/kg - quite expensive. Atlas Pacific Ltd. in Indonesia is a big producer.

• biologists consider the Silver- and Gold-lipped Pearl Oysters as mere varieties of a single species
  • the gold lipped oyster produces a light to golden champagne colored pearl
  • the silver lipped produces a white, creamy white to silver colored pearl

• Pinctada margaritifera
  (Linnaeus,1758)

Relevant Synonyms:

• Meleagrina margaritifera
• Pteria margaritifera
  
• Black-lipped pearl oyster, Japan Kurocyou-Gai

• 'Mother-of-pearl' (pearl shell) has been used by islanders of the Pacific and other regions as utensils, implements and ornamentation, while the oyster itself has been a basic food item. Pearl meat is a delicacy in many western cultures.
• The oyster's pearl has been a highly prized article of adornment since time immemorial.The ancient writings of the Chinese, Persians and other eastern peoples abound with references to the esteem in which it was held.

I'm still searching for proof that this oyster is actually eaten; but so far I have only found evidence that the Family of Pinctada are not used as a food today. Historically, I'm not too sure