Chinese thorny oyster

Description:

Spondylus sinensis. Around 5 inches. The intense orange color is natural. Hving spatulate spines, it has to live in calm waters.

Habitat:

I read that it is from depths of 50 meters. But it grows on coral, I am not sure if corals grow to that depth.

Notes:

This used to be common, but is not now because of loss of habitat. This was collected in 1975. I have stopped collecting for environmental reasons. It is a good specimen because of the fine spine growth and the intense color.