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

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

of saltwater clams, marine

bivalve Bivalvia (), in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class of marine and freshwater molluscs that have laterally compressed bodies enclosed by a shell consisting of two hinged parts. As a group, biv ...

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is es ...

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 not a ...

s and

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

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

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

Placuna placenta The windowpane oyster (''Placuna placenta'') is a bivalve marine mollusk in the family of Placunidae. They are edible, but valued more for their shells (and the rather small pearls). The shells have been used for thousands of years as a glass s ...

'', 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). This can be seen in the upcoming movie from Hollywood (Thor- Love and Thunder). 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 is internal and forms a shallow V-shape.

Reproduction

The sexes are separate and the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. Th ...

l stage is

free-swimming Motility is the ability of an organism to move independently, using metabolic energy. Definitions Motility, the ability of an organism to move independently, using metabolic energy, can be contrasted with sessility, the state of organisms th ...

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 definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

, and are cultivated or

farmed Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peop ...

in several areas. tp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/009/w7191e/w7191e19.pdf "Bivalves"/ref> The windowpane oysters are valued for their translucent shell. The shells were originally used as a

glass Glass is a non-Crystallinity, crystalline, often transparency and translucency, transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most ...

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

coast The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...

al areas the flesh is eaten.

Genera and species

Genera and species within the family Placunidae include: * ''

Placuna 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 ...

'' Lightfoot, 1786 ** ''

Placuna ephippium 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 ...

'' (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 ...

'' (Gray, 1849) ** ''

Placuna lobata 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 ...

'' G. B. Sowerby II, 1871 ** ''

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, t ...

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 zoological ...

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

References

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