Shell · Genus
Ostrea
Oysters (living)
Ostrea is the true oyster genus, including the European flat oyster Ostrea edulis, whose shells are calcite and irregular. Living oyster shells are rarely collected except as reference; fossil oysters are covered in the taxon article. Oysters are useful for teaching the difference between calcite and aragonite shells.
| Habitat | Estuaries and shallow coasts, cemented to hard substrate |
|---|---|
| Regions | Worldwide |
| Family | Ostreidae |
| Authority (WoRMS) | Linnaeus, 1758· WoRMS / MolluscaBase |
| Status (WoRMS) | accepted· WoRMS / MolluscaBase |
| Extinct (WoRMS) | no· WoRMS / MolluscaBase |
| Classification (WoRMS) | Animalia › Mollusca › Bivalvia › Ostreida › Ostreidae· WoRMS / MolluscaBase |
CITES and protection
Not CITES-listed; food species regulated as fisheries.
Care (Byne's disease)
Calcite shells; stable.
Photographs
Elsewhere
- WoRMS AphiaID: 138298
- Wikidata: Q1996210
- WoRMS / MolluscaBase record
- Wikipedia: Ostrea
- CITES Appendices
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Ostrea" (Shell family). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-19. https://stratum.black/study/shells/ostrea. Accessed 2026-09-20.
@misc{stratum-ostrea,
title = {Ostrea},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/shells/ostrea}},
year = {2026},
note = {Shell family article, Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-19; sources: stratum, worms, wikidata, commons, smithsonian. Accessed 2026-09-20.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.