Summary ⁶

The eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) — also called Atlantic oyster or Virginia oyster — is a species of true oyster native to the eastern seaboard and Gulf of Mexico coast of North America. It is also farmed in Puget Sound, Washington, where it is known as the Totten Inlet Virginica. Eastern oysters are and have been very popular commercially.

Description ⁷

Crassostrea virginica (family Ostreidae) is a prolific member of estuaries on the eastern coast of the Americas (Meyers and Townsend 2000, Wilson et al. 2005). The shell of the eastern oyster is thick, flattened, and highly variable in shape. It grows from round (irregular) to oval and usually bears concentric ridges. The exterior color of the shell is dirty white to gray while the interior is bright white with a deep purple or red-brown muscle scar (Kay 1979).C. virginica is a key structural component of estuaries (Berquist et al. 2006) playing a major role in the function of estuary ecosystems (Dame 1972). Large beds provide habitat for numerous fish and invertebrate species, reduce water turbidity through filter-feeding, and physically serve as filter removing large material from the water as it passes over the reef (Meyers and Townsend 2000, Berquist et al. 2006). The eastern oyster has been selected as a çnatural resource of ecological significanceç and methods for management are currently being developed (Wilson et al. 2005).

Physical description ⁸

The Eastern oyster is relatively large, growing up to 10 cm. in length. It is normally somewhat pear-shaped in outline, but members of this species vary greatly in size and shape. The shell is dirty gray externally and white internally, except for the muscle scar, which is deep purple.

Reproduction ⁹

Reproductive organs can be readily observed only during the breeding season. There is no reproductive activity during the winter. Sexual maturity is a function of size rather than age. The first spawning usually occurs when the oyster is 2 years of age. Fertilization occurs when huge numbers of sperm sperm and eggs are expelled from the male or female and meet in the water.

Link to Access Genomic Data ¹⁰

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=6565&lvl=0

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Fabio Moretzsohn, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Fabio Moretzsohn
2. (c) Natural History Museum Rotterdam, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://images.marinespecies.org/resized/66404_crassostrea-virginica.jpg
3. (c) Feet wet, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/29136678@N06/3924345512
4. (c) Casey Dunn, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/12455333@N00/6195344617/
5. (c) Flickr, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4030/4430768998_f27e006715_b.jpg
6. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crassostrea_virginica
7. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11525924
8. (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/18642392
9. (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/18642393
10. (c) Emily Rose Sharkey, all rights reserved

More Info

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