About Mactra stultorum (Linnaeus, 1758)
The scientific name of this species is Mactra stultorum (Linnaeus, 1758), and its common name is the rayed trough shell. This species has a very thin, delicate shell marked with concentric growth lines, and sometimes has colored radiating bands, which gives the species its common name. The interior of the shell is white. This bivalve species is distributed in the Black Sea, along Mediterranean coasts, and along Europe's west coast from Norway to the Iberian Peninsula. Its range extends south to Senegal. It lives on sandy bottoms (rarely soft bottoms) at depths between 5 and 30 meters. Empty shells of this species are very commonly found washed onto beaches by wave action. This species is sometimes sold as food in markets.
