Shell of the Week: The Spiny Piddock

The Spiny Piddock (Jouannetia quillingi) is a member of the family Pholadidae, a bivalve group that also includes soft-substrate borers such as the Angel Wing (Cyrtopleura costata) and wood-boring piddocks in the genus Martesia. Jouannetia quillingi was originally described in 1955 by famed Harvard zoologist Dr Ruth D. Turner.

Spiny Piddocks measure up to 21.5 mm (about 0.85 inch) and the left and right valves differ from each other, with concentric ribs stronger on the right valve. This species is known to bore into water-logged driftwood and may be found from North Carolina to Florida and the Gulf of Mexico. The illustration is by James F. Kelly.

The Spiny Piddock, Jouannetia quillingi, from off Port St. Joe, Florida. Photos by James F. Kelly.

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