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''Spondylus'' is a genus of bivalve molluscs, the only genus in the family Spondylidae. As well as being the systematic or scientific name, ''Spondylus'' is also the most often used common name for these animals, though they are also known as thorny oysters, spiny oysters, and as spondylids. The meat of these bivalves is edible. The many species of ''Spondylus'' vary considerably in appearance and range. They are grouped in the same superfamily as the scallops. They are not closely related to true oysters (family Ostreidae), however they do cement themselves to rocks, rather than attach themselves by a byssus. Their key characteristic is the two parts of their shells are hinged together with a ball-and-socket type of hinge, rather than a toothed hinge as is more common in other bivalves. They also still retain vestigial anterior and posterior ''auricles'' ("ears", triangular shell flaps) along the hinge line. Liks scallops, ''Spondylus'' spp. have multiple eyes around the edges of their shells, and have relatively well-developed nervous systems. Their nervous ganglia are concentrated in the visceral region, with recognisable optic lobes connected to the eyes. ''Spondylus'' shells are much sought after by collectors, and a lively commercial market exists in them. ==History== The genus ''Spondylus'' originated in the Mesozoic era and can be found in fossil forms in Cretaceous rocks in the Fort Worth Formation of Texas and in the Trent River Formation of Vancouver, as well as other parts of North America.〔Finsley, Chalres. 1999. A Field Guide to the Fossils of Texas. Gulf Publishing. Lanham, Maryland. plate 55.〕〔Ludvigsen, Rolf & Beard, Graham. 1997. West Coast Fossils: A Guide to the Ancient Life of Vancouver Island. pg. 104〕 Archaeological evidence shows people in Neolithic Europe were trading the shells of ''S. gaederopus'' to make bangles and other ornaments as early as 4500 BC (Varna Necropolis). The shells were harvested from the Aegean Sea, but were transported far into the centre of the continent. In the LBK and Lengyel cultures, ''Spondylus'' shells from the Aegean Sea were worked into bracelets and belt buckles. ''S. princeps'' is found off the coast of Ecuador, and has been important to Andean peoples since pre-Columbian times, serving as offerings to the Pachamama, as well as some kind of currency.〔Carter, Benjamin. "Spondylus in South American Prehistory" In Spondylus in Prehistory: New Data and Approaches. Ed. Fotis Ifantidis and Marianna Nikolaidou. BAR International Series 2216. Oxford: Archaeopress, 2011: 63-89.〕 In fact, much like in Europe, the ''Spondylus'' shells also reached far and wide, as pre-Hispanic Ecuadorian peoples traded them with peoples as far north as present-day Mexico and as far south as the central Andes.〔Shimada, Izumi. “Evolution of Andean Diversity: Regional Formations (500 B.C.E-C.E. 600). The Cambridge History of the Native People of the Americas. Vol. III, pt. 1. Ed. Frank Salomon & Stuart B. Schwartz. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999: 350-517, esp. "Mesoamerican-Northwest South American Connections", pp. 430-436.〕 The Moche people of ancient Peru worshipped animals and the sea, and often depicted ''Spondylus'' shells in their art.〔Berrin, Katherine & Larco Museum. ''The Spirit of Ancient Peru:Treasures from the Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera.'' New York: Thames and Hudson, 1997.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Spondylus gaederopus」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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