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Glite Dictionary
🐚 A spiny oyster 🦪 A shellfish group
Spondylus

Spondylus

9.9
A group of spiny oysters that live in warm seas and have bright shells
  • proper noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Spondylus
  • The collector displayed a beautiful Spondylus shell on the mantelpiece.

Examples

  • During his diving trip, he discovered a colorful Spondylus nestled among the coral.

  • The museum features a fascinating exhibit on the evolution of Spondylus shells.

  • But every 7 to 10 years, the current along the coast shifts, and the phenomenon, called El Niño, brings both heavy rains and the Spondylus farther south.

    Academic text (2009)

Surface Forms

Spondylus main

Etymology

Spondylus as a genus name comes from the Greek word spondylos, meaning 'vertebra' or 'spine', like the English word spine. Scientists gave this name because these oysters have spiny, bone-like shells, so it helps you remember that Spondylus is the group of spiny oysters.