Pinna (bivalve)
| Pinna Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| Pinna nobilis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Pteriida |
| Superfamily: | Pinnoidea |
| Family: | Pinnidae |
| Genus: | Pinna Linnaeus, 1758 |
| Type species | |
| Pinna rudis Linnaeus, 1758 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Pinna is a genus of bivalve molluscs belonging to the family Pinnidae. The type species of the genus is Pinna rudis.
These bivalves are sessile suspension feeders that live in shallow water, fixed to the substrate with a large, silky byssus. There are 32 different species in the genus Pinna, accounting for around 40% of the diversity in the family Pinnidae, and members of the genus are present almost globally. The most extensively studied species in the genus is the critically endangered P. nobilis, a Mediterranean pen shell which was historically important as the principal source of sea silk. Members of Pinna are also valued as sources of food, pearls and for the aesthetic value of their shells.