Placunidae, also known as windowpane oysters, windowpane shells, and Capiz shells, are a

taxonomic 280px, Generalized scheme of taxonomy Taxonomy is a practice and science concerned with classification or categorization. Typically, there are two parts to it: the development of an underlying scheme of classes (a taxonomy) and the allocation ...

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

of saltwater clams, marine

bivalve Bivalvia () or bivalves, in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class (biology), class of aquatic animal, aquatic molluscs (marine and freshwater) that have laterally compressed soft bodies enclosed b ...

mollusk Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum after Arthropoda. The ...

s which are related to

oyster Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but no ...

s and

scallop Scallop () is a common name that encompasses various species of marine bivalve molluscs in the taxonomic family Pectinidae, the scallops. However, the common name "scallop" is also sometimes applied to species in other closely related famili ...

s. This family is best known for the shells of the

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

'' Placuna placenta'', which are translucent, and are commonly used in

shellcraft Shellcraft, also known as shell craft, is the craft of making decorative objects, or of decorating surfaces, using seashells. The craft includes the design and creation of small items such as shell jewelry and figurines made from shells; middle-si ...

production. In some cultures, they are cut into 2" x 2" and pressed by a 1/4" wood and are used as a form of light-admitting window."Fisheries and aquaculture of window-pane shells"
Malacological Society of London. Retrieved on 2011-10-23. This shells are a bit reflective and are even used as room movable divider (partition). The family is closely related to the

Anomiidae Anomiidae is a family of saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs related to scallops and oysters, and known as anomiids. It contains seven genera. The family is known by several common names, including jingle shells, mermaid's toenails, and ...

(saddle oysters). One of the main differences is that the Placunidae do not attach themselves to a hard surface but are instead a mud-living family.

Description

Placunidae are suspension feeders, living on shallow, muddy-bottomed waters. They usually lie with the right valve downwards. The

ligament A ligament is a type of fibrous connective tissue in the body that connects bones to other bones. It also connects flight feathers to bones, in dinosaurs and birds. All 30,000 species of amniotes (land animals with internal bones) have liga ...

is internal and forms a shallow V-shape.

Reproduction

The sexes are separate and the

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

l stage is free-swimming.

Cultural usage

Species in the family Placunidae are extensively collected in the Indo-West

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

, and are cultivated or farmed in several areas. The windowpane oysters are valued for their translucent shell. The shells were originally used as a

glass Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline solid, non-crystalline) solid. Because it is often transparency and translucency, transparent and chemically inert, glass has found widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in window pane ...

substitute in glazing, but nowadays they are mainly used in the manufacture of trays, lampshades and numerous decorative items. In

coast A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

al areas the flesh is eaten.

Genera and species

Genera and species within the family Placunidae include: * '' Placuna'' Lightfoot, 1786 ** ''

Placuna ephippium Placunidae, also known as windowpane oysters, windowpane shells, and Capiz shells, are a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic Family (biology), family of saltwater clams, marine (ocean), marine bivalve mollusc, mollusks which are related to oysters and ...

'' (Philipsson, 1788) ** ''

Placuna lincolnii Placunidae, also known as windowpane oysters, windowpane shells, and Capiz shells, are a taxonomic family of saltwater clams, marine bivalve mollusks which are related to oysters and scallops. This family is best known for the shells of the s ...

'' (Gray, 1849) ** '' Placuna lobata'' G. B. Sowerby II, 1871 ** '' Placuna placenta''

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the starting point of modern zoologic ...

** '' Placuna quadrangula'' (Philipsson, 1788) ;Synonyms: * ''Placuna lincolnii'' (Gray, 1849) sensu Lamprell & Whitehead, 1992: synonym of Placuna quadrangula (Philipsson, 1788) (misapplication) * ''Placuna orbicularis'' (Philipsson, 1788): synonym of ''Placuna placenta'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * ''Placuna papyracea'' Bruguière, 1792: synonym of ''Placuna quadrangula'' (Philipsson, 1788) * ''Placuna planicostata'' Dunker, 1879: synonym of ''Placuna lobata'' G. B. Sowerby II, 1871 * ''Placuna sella''

Gmelin Gmelin may refer to: * Karl Christian Gmelin, Carl Christian Gmelin (1762–1837), German botanist, author of ''Flora Badensis, Alsatica et confinium regionum cis- et transrhenania'' (1806) * Charles Gmelin (1872–1950), British Olympic athlete * ...

, 1791: synonym of ''Placuna ephippium'' (Philipsson, 1788)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7200428 Monogeneric bivalve families Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque