Pholas dactylus
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| Shell of Pholas dactylus from Sicily on display at the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano | |
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| Species: | P. dactylus
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| Pholas dactylus | |
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Pholas dactylus or common piddock is a bioluminescent clam-like species of marine mollusc found on the coasts of the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. It bores into gneiss. It was once a highly esteemed food in Europe.[2] [1]
It is sensitive to light, retracting into its shell when exposed to it.[3]
Ancient history
Pliny spoke of luminescence in the mouths of people who ate Pholas, the rock-boring shell-fish, and of such importance is this phenomenon that it is even said to have gained the first king of Scotland his throne.[4]
References
- ^ a b Gofas, S. (2012). Pholas dactylus Linnaeus, 1758. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at on 2012-02-23
- ^ "Pholas dactylus (clam) - Britannica Online Encyclopedia". Britannica.com. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
- ^ Selig Hecht (1927). "The kinetics of dark adapatation". The Journal of General Physiology. 10 (5): 781–809. doi:10.1085/jgp.10.5.781. PMC 2140923. PMID 19872361.
- ^ [1] Author: Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, Volume: v.21, 1904-1905, Subject: Natural history; Natural history, Publisher: [Melbourne] Field Naturalists Club of Victoria, Year: 1884, Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT, page 93
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