Sealife guideThe great atlantic scallopPecten maximus

Last updated on 12/08/2024 at 02:09 PM

Taxonomy

Common name: Great atlantic scallop, king scallop, great scallop, St James shell
French name: Coquille Saint-Jacques
Spanish name: Concha de santiago,concha de peregrino
Scientific name: Pecten maximus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Family name: Pectinidae
Order name: Pectinida
Class name: The bivalves and clams [Bivalvia]

The great atlantic scallop (Pecten maximus) © Jeremy Brown | Dreamstime.com

Within the same family

Giant rock scallop
(Crassadoma gigantea)

Spiny pink scallop
(Chlamys hastata)

Discover also

Dotted sea slug
(Peltodoris atromaculata)

Flamingo tongue
(Cyphoma gibbosum)

Hooded nudibranch
(Melibe leonina)

Lined chiton
(Tonicella lineata)

Pharaoh cuttlefish
(Sepia pharaonis)

Stubby squid
(Rossia pacifica)

White lined dirona
(Dirona albolineata)

Zephyr doris
(Hypselodoris zephyra)

The marine species from eastern Atlantic ocean

Edible crab
(Cancer pagurus)

Portuguese man of war
(Physalia physalis)

Thornback ray
(Raja clavata)

Our latestUpdates

Thursday, October 2nd 2025

The California sheephead

Discover the California sheephead, a colorful fish of the eastern Pacific. Learn about its appearance, diet, habitat in kelp forests, unique sex-changing ability and role in marine ecosystems.

Monday, September 29th 2025

The banded guitarfish

Discover the banded guitarfish, a benthic eastern Pacific species with unique camouflage, living on sandy and rocky bottoms.

Thursday, September 25th 2025

The tiger snake eel

Explore the tiger snake eel (Myrichthys maculosus), featuring a creamy to pale yellow body dotted with black spots, and learn about its habitat, behavior and role in coral reef ecosystems.

Photo of the Day

Nautile flammé
(Nautilus pompilius)