Black-lip pearl oyster | |
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Live individual on display in the Aquarium Finisterrae | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Bivalvia |
Order: | Pteriida |
Family: | Pteriidae |
Genus: | Pinctada |
Species: | P. margaritifera
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Binomial name | |
Pinctada margaritifera (Linnaeus, 1758)
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Pinctada margaritifera, commonly known as the black-lip pearl oyster, is a species of pearl oyster, a saltwater mollusk, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Pteriidae. This species is common in the Indo-Pacific within tropical coral reefs.
The ability of P. margaritifera to produce pearls means that the species is a valuable resource to humans. The oysters are harvested wild from coral reefs and are also commonly grown in aquaculture, both primarily taking place in the Indo-Pacific region.