Title
Angel Wing (Cyrtopleura costata )
FMM2011.20.051.1-2
Subject
seashells, bivalves, shell collectors
Description
White bivalve shell. Ridges radiate out from base.
The Angel Wing shell (Cyrtopleura costata) is a species of bivalve mollusk found in the western Atlantic, from Massachusetts to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. The Angel Wing can grow up to 7 inches in length and burrows in compacted mud sea beds. The mollusk uses siphons that protrude from its burrow to circulate water through its gills and to filter out food. The siphons cannot retract into the shell, and so the two valves never fully close. For that reason, it is rare to find an example of the shell with both halves intact.
The Angel Wing shell (Cyrtopleura costata) is a species of bivalve mollusk found in the western Atlantic, from Massachusetts to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. The Angel Wing can grow up to 7 inches in length and burrows in compacted mud sea beds. The mollusk uses siphons that protrude from its burrow to circulate water through its gills and to filter out food. The siphons cannot retract into the shell, and so the two valves never fully close. For that reason, it is rare to find an example of the shell with both halves intact.
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