Appearance
When mature, "O. edulis" adults range from 3.8 to 11 centimetres across.Shells are oval or pear shaped, white, yellowish or cream in colour, with a rough surface showing pale brown or bluish concentric bands on the right valve. The two valves are quite different in shape and size, as the left one is concave and fixed to the substratum, while the right one is almost flat and fits inside the left. The inner surface is smooth, whitish or bluish-grey.
Naming
In France, "Ostrea edulis" are known as "huîtres plates" except for those that come from the Belon River estuary in Brittany, France, which are known as Belons.
Distribution
The species naturally ranges along the western and southern coasts of Europe from Norway to Morocco and including most of the British Isles and the Mediterranean coast. Naturally viable populations have appeared in eastern North America from Maine to Rhode Island subsequent to artificial introduction in the 1940s and 1950s.
Behavior
"Ostrea edulis" are gregarious molluscs that start their lives as males. They mature sexually after eight–ten months and may change sex depending on the water temperature. Usually the lifespan can reach about six years, with a maximum of 15 years. Adult oysters feed by filtration.Habitat
"Ostrea edulis" can be found in estuarine and shallow coastal water with hard substrata of mud and rocks.Evolution
The fossil record of this species dates back to the Miocene. These fossils have been found in Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Egypt, Greece, Spain, the United Kingdom, Austria, France and Germany.References:
Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.
