Field marks
Shape varies greatly with the substrate; right valve flatter with layered scales; overlaps with the Suminoe oyster, so molecular ID is needed for certainty
- Size
- Shell length usually 10–20 cm, irregular
- Habitat
- Intertidal to shallow subtidal; left valve cemented to rock and other hard surfaces
- Distribution
- Native to the NW Pacific; common in northern China; introduced worldwide
- Diet
- Filters phytoplankton and organic detritus
- Counted in
- individuals
- Notes
- Formerly Crassostrea gigas; one of the most farmed shellfish in the world
Profile compiled from common references; awaiting expert review.
Same family
Other species in Ostreidae
Observations