Patinopecten caurinus (Gould, 1850)

weathervane scallop

Description: A large, round, and lightly convex shell. The sculpture consists of low rounded, undulating radial ribs, crossed by commarginal striae (lines). The auricles are subequal, lack radial ribs, and bear a deep, rounded byssal notch.

Size: 100-230 mm

Ecology: Epifaunal or free-living (non-attached, swimming). May form dense colonies on sandy or muddy bottoms in the inner shelf through outer shelf (10-200 m of water depths).

Geological range: Reported from the as early as the Miocene, but certainly Pliocene-Recent (5-0 million years ago).

Geographic distribution: Alaska (59°N) to central California (36°N). Reported from the Wildcat Formation (Pliocene, California), Lomita Marl (Pleistocene, California), Elk River Formation (Pleistocene, Oregon), and Merced Formation (Pleistocene, Oregon).

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