Windowpane oyster

Common card · No. 402259

The windowpane oyster, window shell, or jingle shell (Placuna placenta) is a bivalve marine mollusk in the family of Placunidae. It is edible, but valued more for its shell (and its rather small pearls). The oyster's shells have been used for thousands of years as a glass substitute because of their durability and translucence. More recently, they have been used in the manufacture of decorative items such as chandeliers and lampshades. In the Philippines, the shell is known as the capiz shell (kapis). Capiz shells are also used as raw materials for glue, chalk and varnish. Distribution extends from the shallows of the Gulf of Aden to around the Philippines (including the eponymous province of Capiz) north to Taiwan and south to Queensland, Australia. The mollusks are found in muddy or sandy shores, in bays, coves and lagoons to a depth of about 100 m (330 ft). Populations have been in decline because of destructive methods of fishing and gathering such as trawling, dredging, blast fishing...

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