Ostrea edulis

Overview

The attached left valve is concave and the flatter right valve fits inside it. Shells are rough and scaly outside and pearly within. FAO notes an elastic hinge ligament and a large adductor muscle that closes the valves, with no hinge teeth.

MarLIN identifies an Ostreidae suspension feeder attached to firm surfaces in productive shallow waters. Pumped water supplies food; shell fragments provide larval settlement surfaces and support dense beds.

FAO records natural occurrence from Norway toward Morocco and in the Mediterranean and Black seas. Historic European cultivation involved collecting spat and moving it to managed ponds.

Origins & earliest records

Authority Linnaeus, 1758 as given in the FAO fact sheet title; this records naming, not evolutionary origin. Original type material was not examined.

Evidence & interpretation

MarLIN species account and FAO Cultured Aquatic Species fact sheet (Goulletquer 2009).

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   Ostrea edulis (Linnaeus, 1758)

   Goulletquer · 2009

   Selected bibliography; FAO Cultured Aquatic Species fact sheet.

2. 02

   Native oyster (Ostrea edulis)

   · 2023

   Selected bibliography; MarLIN institutional species account.

Family, evolution & connections

Taxonomic classification

A hierarchy of classified groups, not a chain of direct ancestors.

Source note: Family placement follows MarLIN; higher ranks were not established in the supplied sources.

1. FamilyOstreidae
2. SpeciesOstrea edulis

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. Institutional species accountNative oyster (Ostrea edulis)Research access: 2026-10-07
2. FAO species fact sheetOstrea edulis (Linnaeus, 1758)Research access: 2026-10-07

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.