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Trees- ShrubsFan Mussel ( Pinna nobilis )
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Pinna nobilis is a large brown fan-shaped bivalve mollusc that can grow up to 120cm and live for 20 years (1). Generally occurs in seagrass meadows with its pointed end buried vertically in the soft sediment, attached by byssal threads to solid structures (stones, shells, seagrass rhizomes) below the sediment surface (2). P. rudis is also found within the Mediterranean, although unlike P. nobilis, it is not protected under the EC Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC.
The fan mussel is found in soft sediment areas and beds of seagrass Posidonia oceanica (Linnaeus) Delile and Cymodocea nodosa (Ucria) Aschers at depths between 0.5 and 60m (3).
Adult spawning occurs in August and September. Larval life is between 5 and 10 days. Larval settlement varies depending on temperature, food supply and settlement site availability (1). The shell grows making the larva heavy and it sinks to the bottom where it attaches itself.
P. nobilis is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea and because it attaches itself to solid structures, it is non-migratory.
P. nobilis is a non-migratory species.
Large scale movement is unlikely as it is attached to small stones or pieces of shell under the surface by numerous byssal threads but as they grow, there is the need to relocate their shell into deeper sediment to compensate the increased growth above the sediment in order to maintain stability (1).
The fan mussel is filter feeder, extracting particles from inhaled water. Any information on feeding physiology is scarce (4).
European Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and wild fauna and flora: Pinna nobilis is under strict protection (Annex IV) (5).
Description written by Jennifer Lam (2009)
(1) Richardson, C.A., Kennedy, H., Duarte, C.M., Kennedy, D.P., Proud, S.V., 1999. Age and growth of the fan mussel Pinna nobilis from south-east Spanish Mediterranean seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) meadows. Marine Biology, 133, 205-212.
(2) Katsenavakis, S., 2006. Population ecology of the endangered fan mussel Pinna nobilis in a marine lake. Endangered Species Research, 1, 51-59.
(3) Centoducati, G., Tarsitano, E., Bottalico, A., Marvulli, M., Lai, O.R., Crescenzo, G., 2007. Monitoring of the endangered Pinna nobilis Linne, 1758 in the Mar Grande of Taranto (Ionian Sea, Italy). Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 131, 339-347.
(4) Garcia-March, J.R., Solsona, M.A.S., Garcia-Carrascosa, A.M., 2008. Shell gaping behaviour of Pinna nobilis L., 1758: circadian and circalunar rhythms by in situ monitoring. Marine Biology, 153, 689-698.
(5) EEC (1992) Council directive on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (The habitats and species directive), 92/43/EEC. Official Journal of the European Communities No L206/7, Brussels.
