• From a Conch-L source: " I read an account in a Kotakinabalu (insular Malaysia) newspaper of a family who ate an unspecified number of an Oliva species harvested from shallow N. W. Borneo waters and became ill as a result. At least one fatality was attributed to poisoning. The report sounded quite authoritative. I doubt that this was paralytic shellfish poisoning (dinoflagellate contamination).
• From a Conch-L source: "I have heard that members of the Olividae are poisonous" I will try to verify this statement

OSTREIDAE
True oysters

• Species List
• Simply Seafood
  Alaska Shellfish Facts & Recipes

• Recipes
• Recipes
• Dinner's Digest

• Safety Advise:
  • Bacteria multiply at a phenomenal rate in dead shellfish, making them dangerous to consume. Make very sure if buying live oysters that they are indeed alive! (see below).
  • A certified retailer is your best assurance of safety.
  • Oysters may very well be the most wonderful food in the world, however, they also can be one of the most dangerous if harvested improperly. Vibrio vulnificus, a microbe which is active during the summer months, is the culprit. Found everywhere, especially in the warmer waters of the Gulf of Mexico it is ingested by the oysters. Vulnerable are people with liver conditions, depressed immune systems, cancer patients and the elderly should avoid eating raw oysters.
  • If at risk of having shellfish allergies, never eat raw oysters (Or any other raw shellfish) and always try a small sampling for safety sake before trying a meal of oysters.

  • Commercial buyers: Never buy oysters that do not bear the harvester's name, address, date and certification number, and keep the tag for at least 90 days. This should be done routinely.

• What to look for when buying or procuring a live oyster for your next meal or treat:
  • The shells should be tightly closed. If a shell is slightly agape, it should close after it is tapped.
  • Fresh oysters should have a pleasant sea-breeze odor. If they smell sulfurous and feel slimy, avoid.
    
  • Broken shells will result in a dry or dead oyster.
  • An oyster with no liquor will feel much lighter than one with its fluids intact. Dry oysters also sound hollow.
  • In the supermarket two kinds of oysters are sold: those for raw eating and others for cooking. The difference between the two kinds is not freshness or quality. The differences between oysters for cooking and eating raw are found in the type of fishery and the size and standards of the oyster set by the government.
    Oysters which are to be consumed raw are smaller in size. Oysters for "pot-au-feu" and frying are those that have received less treatment against bacteria which leaves them slightly more nutritional. To better enjoy the flavor of an oyster and to make full use of its goodness, choose the proper oyster for the manner of consumption.

  • Live oysters are usually sold by the piece or by the dozen and are graded by size. As a general rule, the smaller the shucked or live oyster, the more expensive they are. One exception, though, are the very large Pacific oysters, which are sold for a premium to Asian markets.

• Caring for your Live oyster: Live oysters for the halfshell (raw) market will bring widely different prices, depending on where it was grown and the mystique of the name. The price will also depend on whether the oysters were cultivated on a farm or fished out of the sea.
  • Oysters should be place cupside down to prevent the liquor or fluids from leaking out.
  • Store in the refrigerator (34-38-oF) in a shallow bowl covered by a damp cloth. Allow them to breathe; therefore, do not store live oysters in a plastic bag or tightly sealed container.
• If the oysters came in a box, make sure the box is stored right-side up
• Live oysters should not come in contact with fresh water as it will kill them!

• Plan to consume them as soon as possible. Oysters should be eaten as soon as possible after purchase. Although they will remain alive longer, they are best used within 7- 10 days of harvest. Always error on the side of safety; if you are unsure if they are still alive and edible get rid of them!

• Buying and Caring for Shucked Oysters:
• Shucked oysters should have a creamy color and the liquid should be clear. If the oyster meats look bloated, it’s because water has been added for extra weight. Avoid.
• Shucked meats are available in plastic or glass jars or tubs,and are usually graded by meat count (the number of oyster meats per gallon)

• Follow instructions on the label for caring for these oysters

• Preparing your oysters for the dinner table:
  • Serving the perfect oyster on the half shell (RAW) requires careful shucking. It is advisable to wear gloves for this procedure. After scrubbing under cold running water, hold the oyster firmly with one hand, rounded side down so less liquid is lost when opened. Insert the blade of the knife between the shells, near the hinge. Twist the blade to open the shells, then cut the muscle joining the shells together. Slip the blade underneath the oyster to detach it from the shell. Remove any pieces of shell stuck on the oyster. If you are having problems, steaming them for a few seconds or heating them in a medium oven for about 30 seconds might make them a little easier to open (the heat softens the adductor muscle). Never soak oysters in water, because they can die if they open and their liquid drains out.
    
  • Oysters are delicious fried, baked, boiled, steamed, or stewed. Oysters can also be processed, canned or frozen to preserve them.
  • The key to preparing delicious fried oysters (Kakinabe(pot-au-feu)) is the coating, which is made of flour, eggs, and bread crumbs. The coating protects the oyster within, and prevents it from being over-cooked.
  • Overcooking oysters makes them hard and reduces their flavor. Cook them just until the edges curl and they are plump.
  • Oysters cooked in their shells cook in their own liquor, which enhances flavor and keeps the meat moist. Although some of the oysters may still be closed, they will all be cooked after about 10 minutes, and may be pried open.
  • Deep-frying oysters, or other foods for that matter, can undo their health benefits. Not only does frying add extra fat, but also the high heat used changes the chemical composition of the oil, making it harmful to the body.
  • Herbs and spices that combine particularly well with oysters include chives, parsley, thyme, garlic, dill weed, celery seed, cayenne, nutmeg, paprika, curry, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco. Others swear by vinegar and ketchup!
  • Half Shell Etiquette:
    • Some will say the only way to eat an oyster is right out of the shell with a shot of lemon. However, not everyone can face up to the idea of “chewing” a raw oyster. (As Jonathan Swift said, “I never met a man so brave as would eat a raw oyster”). But you don’t chew an oyster; you slurp it down, preferably off the shell, savoring its natural liquor, gumming it gently as it slides down your throat more or less intact.

    • Presentation is extremely important in serving raw oysters. Traditionally, they should be fanned out on a bed of ice with wedges of lemon; the adductor mussels should be severed so that the oyster is not attached to the shell. The oyster should be intact with absolutely no bits of shell on the oyster. Always open the oysters shortly before serving.
      

• Nutritional Information:
  • Oysters (oysters in English, huitre in French) are nutritionally complete and are often referred to as the "milk of the ocean." Oysters contain protein, lipids, carbohydrates, calcium, iron, copper, zinc, phosphorus, and vitamins A, B, C, D, and E, in a healthy balance. Nevertheless, it is a low-calorie food, at about 10 kcal per oyster.
  • Oysters are low in cholesterol. They actually protect blood vessels and arteries by lowering "bad" cholesterol and favoring, "good" cholesterol, or HDL. Oysters work to decrease your body's ability to absorb cholesterol from other foods. They contain far less cholesterol per gram than red meat, poultry or shrimp. They are also very low in fat (less than 2%) and contain almost no saturated fat making them a truly heart healthy food.
  • Oysters are nature's most concentrated packages of zinc. A 3-ounce serving supplies more than 100 percent of your daily zinc requirement, and many times more than the same amount of beef liver, another concentrated source but not nearly as good-tasting. Adequate zinc is crucial for a strong immune system.
  • Oysters help boost your mental energy and are mood elevators - they really are a "brain food". The protein in oysters is rich in the amino acid tyrosine, which your brain converts into mentally energizing chemicals. The quickest boost comes from eating the oysters alone, so maybe those who love them raw on the half shell are on to something - and it only takes three ounces to make it work.
  • Six oysters surpass the recommended daily allowance for iron and supply more protein than milk. They are often recommended by doctors for patients with anemia.
  • Oysters are a warming food and have long been considered an aphrodisiac. Although modern scientific research can give some credence to this claim, the mythology is more interesting. They are however loaded with zinc, which is crucial for fertility, and other health-giving vitamins and minerals

  • An oyster is commonly used as a layman's remedy for hangovers (this point being questionable).

• Oyster Facts:
  • Oysters suck in 200 liters of seawater per day and eat plankton by filtering the water with their gills. This natural function of circulating a large amount of water is used by farmers to reduce harmful bacteria by placing the oysters in purified seawater for a day before shipping to market.
  • It is said that there are more than 100 species of oysters in the world. It is generally accepted that, in Japanese waters, there are 8 genera of oysters consisting of 22 species.
  • There is a popular saying that explains the best oyster season: "Don't eat oysters in months without the letter "r." May, June, July and August lack the letter "r." Spring and summer is the oyster spawning season. They become thinner, runny and unappetizing during the summer as their nutrition goes to reproduction. In the heat of summer, oysters lose their freshness more quickly during transport.
  • Modern technology has produced non-spawning (all-season) oysters available year-round, and modern transportation allows consumers to purchase oysters from such countries as New Zealand and Chile, where it is winter during our summer. Oysters from Canada, where the waters are colder and the spawning season is shorter, are a good buy for the summer months.

  • The oyster, unlike most other seafood, varies greatly in appearance and taste, depending on where they are harvested: URL

• Oyster Trivia:
  • Greeks began to cultivate oysters as early as the fourth century BC. The fisherman would toss broken pottery dishes onto natural oyster beds where young, fledgling oysters looking for a suitable nesting spot would settle. Unbeknown to them they were not only laying down the foundations for the recycling industry, but cultivating the delectable mollusc as well.
  • Oysters were in great demand at luxurious tables of Rome, where no orgy was complete without them. The Roman Emperor Vitellius was said to have eaten a thousand oysters at a single sitting.
  • Artificial oyster beds existed in China long before the Romans and Greeks took up the practice of cultivating them, according to British Oyster expert, John Philpots. The Chinese occasionally ate their oysters raw, their preference being for dried oysters
  • Their claim to be one of nature's finest aphrodisiacs explains part of their undying popularity, as does their almost mystical taste of the sea.
  • The shape of oysters varies and depends mainly on how many crowd about them in the bed as they develop.
  • Oysters have separate sexes; however, they may change sex one or more times during their life span. They always start life as males and usually end up as females.
  • After spending the first part of its life floating freely through the ocean, a young oyster will cement itself to a rock or other hard surface, never to travel again. A female oyster can produce 100 million eggs during one breeding season.
  • Some oysters produce nacre, (a combination of calcium and protein) with which they coat any irritating sand or grit that gets trapped within their shell. This substance hardens into a smooth ball... a pearl.
  • What to Drink with Oysters

• Crassostrea angulata
  (Lamarck, 1819)
  

Portuguese cupped oyster

URL
URL

native to the coastal waters of Spain and Portugal

• Crassostrea gigas and Crassostrea angulata are thought to be the same species by some.
  (Pope for one said: ;"we could not detect conchological differences between those species" i.e. C. gigas and C. angulata." He only considers C. gigas as a valid species only." [European seashells, Guido, T. Pope, Yoshihiro Goto, European seashells, Verlag Christina Hemmen, 1993]
• Today, C angulata is distributed throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, and widely in Europe (France (?), Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Denmark and Norway). Fisheries are sustained by natural spatfalls in The Netherlands and France.

• Portuguese oysters which are not indigenous to the Pacific, have established themselves in Pacific waters. Crisp, meaty, and plump, this oyster from Vancouver, B.C., has a distinctly nutty, briny taste.
• By an accident of history, and prior to 1967, C. angulata were widely cultivated in Brittany, where they helped to support oyster farmers who might otherwise have had to rely solely on the European oyster, which can be much more difficult to grow.
• In France, The years from 1920 to 1967 were the golden years of the Portuguese oyster, (C.angulata), as far as commercial and gastronomy was concerned ( Bouchet). In 1967, two viral diseases ended this time and C. gigas was imported from Japan and British Colombia. Since that time, angulata is still considered to be a valid species; however, they are not eaten or cultivated in France today. (Source: Les coquillages des côtes françaises, Philippe Bouchet, Rudo von
  Cosel, Editions Ouest-France, 2001)
• According to Pope;"we could not detect conchological differences between those species" i.e. C. gigas and C. angulata." He only considers C. gigas as a valid species only.
• C. angulata are not as refined in taste as the European oyster, and are not usually recommended to be served raw. The shells of the oysters have distinctive purple streaks, and its flesh is tinged with purple at the muscle scar.

Mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene sequences support an Asian origin for the Portuguese oyster Crassostrea angulata: D. Ó Foighil, P. M. Gaffney, A. E. Wilbur, T. J. Hilbish: "Abstract The Portuguese oyster Crassostrea angulata (Lamarck, 1819) was long assumed to be native to the northeastern Atlantic, however, a number of lines of evidence now indicate that it is a close relative, or identical, to the Asian Pacific oyster C. gigas (Thunberg, 1793)...."

Chinese River Oyster; Suminoe oyster

• Crassostrea belcheri
  (Sowerby, 1871)
• ??Syn: Crassostrea nippona
  (Seki, 1934)

Lugubrious cupped oyster

• Crassostrea columbiensis (Hanley)

• Crassostrea commercialis
  (Born, 1778)
• Syn: Saccostrea commercialis

Sydney Rock Oyster

• Crassostrea corteziensis
  (Hertlein,
  1951 )

Cortez oyster, mangrove oyster

• the Mangrove Oyster is a tree oyster, only remotely related to true oysters. It is harvested in the Mangrove forests of the Florida Everglades.

• Crassostrea gigas
  (Thunberg, 1793)

Giant cupped oyster, Pacific King Oyster, Japanese Oyster (Magaki)

Recipe by Sophie

Pacific Northwest oyster meat is creamy white, sometimes with a dark fringe around the mantle. It is mild and sweet, with a briny flavor and crisp texture.

Relevant Synonyms:

• Crassostrea angulata
• Ostrea gigas Thunberg, 1793
• "huître creuse" (Bouchet)
  slump oyster

• The Pacific oyster is a Japanese transplant, brought to this country (USA) after the turn of the century to revitalize the West Coast oyster industry after its native Olympia species (Ostrea lurida) crashed.
  
• Hearty and easy to propagate, (It adapts well to different environments) the Pacific oyster is now the most widely cultured oyster in the world. Pacific Oysters are now harvested along the entire coast of Pacific Rim, from the icy waters of Alaska to the warm waters of New Zealand. Named for the harvest area, the oyster varies greatly in both flavor and appearance depending on the waters it is harvested from.
• Europe: C. gigas, was imported in the sixties from Japan and British Columbia. They are now spread from Scandinavia to Mediterranean Sea although they can only reproduce themselves naturally on French Atlantic coast or Adriatic.
• The Pacific Oyster was deliberately introduced to Tasmania and South Australia for aquaculture and has since spread to Victoria, New South Wales and southern Queensland.
• Pacific Canada: The most common and abundant Pacific oysterThis oyster is, with a few exceptions, regarded as inferior for eating raw. It can grow to be 12 inches long, and is therefore often simply too large and tough to be good on the half shell.
• USA: Popular varieties for serving raw include: Mad River and Tomales Bay (California) and Totten (Puget Sound, Washington)
• Pacific Oysters by Harvest Area:
• Comments from France: I've eaten some of them this spring (2001), at low tide, not far from Saint-Malo, hundreds of them were waiting for the starving walkers on the rocks of a beach, only a glass of wine was missing ! They are the oysters we commonly find in the market.

• Crassostrea gigas kumamoto
• Syn: Ostrea gigas kumamoto

Kumamota oyster

FDA
URL

• Kumamoto oyster -- This variation of the Japanese oyster is sometimes given its own species name, Crassostrea kumamoto. It was originally cultured on the island of Kyushu in Japan and is now raised in America from the Gulf of Mexico to British Columbia. It has a distinctive, frilly black shell. The plump, ivory-colored meat is praised as being delicate, even buttery, and is milder than most Pacific oysters and has a slightly sweet aftertaste.
• Story of the Kuamoto Oyster .
• Pacific Canada: The small, cupped Japanese Kumamoto oyster, has also been introduced on some aquaculture tenures.
  

• Crassostrea glomerata
  (Gould 1850)

New Zealand Flat Oyster

• Go to Tiostrea lutaria (Hutton 1873) further down this page

• Crassostrea iredale
  (Faustino, 1928)

Slipper cupped oyster, the black scar

• Tiram (Crassostrea Iredale) oyster has long been cultured throughout the world. Asia is the largest producer.

• Research

• Crassostrea iridescens
  (Hanley 1954)

• Crassostrea madrasensis

Indian backwater oyster

• Crassostrea nippona
  (Seki, 1934)

Iwagaki oyster

wild rock oyster, summer oysters

• Exceptions to the "r" rule are oysters grown in fisheries in Hokkaido and the Iwagaki(rock oyster) farmed along the coast of the Japan Sea. These oysters are harvested during the spring and summer (May to August).
• Iwagaki which are usually consumed raw, tend to be very expensive

• Crassostrea rhizophorae
  (Guilding 1828)

Mangrove cupped oyster

• Crassostrea (Ostrea) rivularis
• Syn: Crassostrea ariakensis
  (Fujita, 1913)

Suminoe oyster

• Crassostrea sikamea
  (Amemiya, 1928)

Kumamoto oyster

• USA: Closely related to the Pacific oyster, the Kumamoto’s small size, deep cup and delicious flavor have made it a big hit in the half-shell trade. Most of the production comes from the Puget Sound area of Washington state.
  

• Crassostrea (Ostrea) talienwhanensis

• Crassostrea virginica
  (Gmelin, 1791)

Atlantic or Eastern oyster, cove oyster, American oyster, American cupped oyster, Blue point oyster

URL
URL

URL

Canada
France
Spain
United States

accounts for about 85 percent of total oyster production: URL

A very hardy mollusc!

URL

Facts

Other regional names (just a few of many):

• Apalachicola (Florida)
• Bluepoint (Long Island)
• Box Oyster (Long Island)
• Breton Sound (Louisiana)
• Chesapeake Bay
• Chincoteague (Virginia)
• Cotuit (Nantucket)
• Kent Island (Maryland)
• Malpeque (PE Island, Canada)
• Patuxent (Maryland)
• Wellfleet (Massachusetts)

• Apalachicola (Florida) Oyster has plump and sweet meat, with a hint of copper flavor. These oysters have a greenish, deep shell and may indeed have been the oyster that was used for Oysters Rockefeller, a dish created at the New Orleans restaurant, Antoine's, during the Gilded Age. It was named after John D. Rockefeller, Sr., because they were both so "rich."

• Live
• Fresh
  • Halfshell
  • Shucked meats
• Frozen
  • Whole
  • Halfshell
  • Shucked meats
• Value-added
  • Smoked
  • Canned
  • Breaded
  • Fritters

• Unlike most of the world, where the Pacific oyster has taken over the oyster grounds, America still has its native oyster, the same one that fed the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock.
• Eastern / Atlantic Oysters are harvested mainly from wild beds along the entire coast of North America, from the icy waters of northern Canada to the warm waters of Texas. Named for the harvest area, the oyster varies greatly in both flavor and appearance depending on the waters it is harvested from.
• In general, northern oysters are considered to be firmer, somewhat better for eating raw than the southern varieties. This difference is attributed to the colder climate of the north. Correspondingly, though they are safe to eat year round, some people do consider the softer texture and blander flavor of the oysters (even northern ones) in the summer to be less appetizing than during the "R-months."
• Eastern oysters are also farmed in Long Island Sound and parts of Atlantic Canada
• Europe: C. virginica was imported to Europe prior to 1939, but colonies seems to have some difficulties in proliferating and it's meat is not highly sought after by European consumers". (Source: European seashells, Guido, T. Pope, Yoshihiro Goto, European seashells, Verlag Christina Hemmen, 1993)
• Pacific Canada: A small population of the Atlantic Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, has
  persisted in the Serpentine River estuary and Boundary Bay, B.C. However, this species is not cultured commercially on the Pacific coast.
• Preparation & Cooking: Oysters are tender creatures. They should never be heated too quickly or too long. As soon as the mantle starts to curl, they're done. For a classic presentation, try Oysters Rockefeller – broiled in their shells on pans of salt, topped with bacon, breadcrumbs, butter and scallions. Though oysters are often served on the halfshell, people in high-risk categories should avoid raw shellfish.

• Hyotissa hyotis
  (Linnaeus, 1758)

Honeycomb Oyster, Giant Coxcomb Oyster

• Ostrea adriatica
  (JB Lamarck,
  1819 )

• Shellfish Aquaculture: "Wild native flat oysters (Ostrea angasi) were part of the diet of Australians before white settlement. Cultivation techniques were first used in the late 1880's when wild-caught spat was grown on marine farms. The success of these farms was short-lived and the industry reverted to the dredging of wild beds...."

• Ostrea
  chilensis
  (Philippi 1845)

Syn: Tiostrea chilensis
(Philippi, 1845)

Chilean Oyster, New Zealand Flat oyster

• The Chilean oyster, a flat oyster species is more commonly known, in New Zealand at least, as the Bluff, dredge, or Foveaux Strait oyster. In the international arena, these oysters have been recently classified scientifically as Tiostrea chilensis, the specific name chilensis taking taxonomic precedence over lutaria, the name that was used in most of the earlier publications for the New Zealand flat oyster.

• Syn: Ostrea lurida

Olympia oyster

• Olympia Oysters (Ostrea lurida), the only ones native to the West coast, are prized for their sweet flavor, distinct metallic aftertaste, and tiny (never larger than two inches in diameter.) greenish shells. Meat ranges from tan to copper-purple; the mantle can be beige to black. It is found from Baja California to Alaska.
• COSEWIC (2000) has designated this as a species of Special concern.
  p. 10 of 14:

• Ostrea edulis
  ( Linnaeus, 1758)

In America: they have been successfully cultivated, especially in Blue Hill (Maine) and in the Pacific Northwest. Most "European" oysters found in America are actually raised in small quantities in Maine and New Hampshire, where they acquire a lemony, metallic taste, and Washington, where they develop a slightly sweet, salty, metallic flavor.

Pacific Canada: Experimental culture has been undertaken with the European flat or Edible Oyster, Ostrea edulis. A few wild O. edulis, have originated from local spawning on aquaculture tenures.

In France: Belon -- the classic example of Ostrea edulis and, for some, the epitome of oyster eating. The Belon is native to Brittany.

• The name "Belon" is a misnomer. It comes from France, where it is protected by law. Only oysters grown in the Belon River estuary have a right to the name.
• Marennes -- the famous green-tinged oysters are raised in claires, with a high concentration of the cholorophyll-containing diatom Navicula ostrearia (a tiny algae).They are grouped as fines de claires, which, according to the rather complicated French system of classification, means they are designated as the most superior in quality of oysters.
• Raised in the oyster-farming zone of Cancale, France then matured in the Penfoulic cove to obtain this taste which is so special, with a delicate bouquet: at first very smooth, then slightly bitter, the taste culminates in a light touch of iodine which remains in the mouth for a long time. More rare, the flat oyster remains choice delicacy with a festive character. It is eaten raw, exclusively for connoisseurs, plain or with a dash of lemon.

• Ostrea folium

raccoon oyster

• Ostrea
  gigas sikamea
  See Crassostrea gigas sikamea

• Ostrea plicatula

Actually belongs under the Family of Pteriidae

• Pinctada maxima
  (Jameson, 1901)

Gold-lip oyster, silver lip oyster; White South Sea pearl oyster

The Pinctada maxima is the biggest pearl-bearing oyster and it grows from 13 cm to 30 cm in diameter. It is found naturally in the Philippines, Australia, Indonesia and Burma. It can produce pearls ranging from 9 mm to 37 mm. It takes three years for this oyster to grow large enough to produce a pearl and then it takes another two to three more years more for it to nurture a pearl.

• P.maxima is a specialty in certain Australian and Chinese restaurants. It can cost about US $500/kg - quite expensive. Atlas Pacific Ltd. in Indonesia is a big producer.

• biologists consider the Silver- and Gold-lipped Pearl Oysters as mere varieties of a single species
  • the gold lipped oyster produces a light to golden champagne colored pearl
  • the silver lipped produces a white, creamy white to silver colored pearl

Actually belongs under the Family of Pteriidae

• Pinctada margaritifera
  (Linnaeus,1758)

Relevant Synonyms:

• Meleagrina margaritifera
• Pteria margaritifera
  

Black-lipped pearl oyster, Japan Kurocyou-Gai

• 'Mother-of-pearl' (pearl shell) has been used by islanders of the Pacific and other regions as utensils, implements and ornamentation, while the oyster itself has been a basic food item. Pearl meat is a delicacy in many western cultures.
• The oyster's pearl has been a highly prized article of adornment since time immemorial.The ancient writings of the Chinese, Persians and other eastern peoples abound with references to the esteem in which it was held.

I'm still searching for proof that this oyster is actually eaten; but so far I have only found evidence that the Family of Pinctada are not used as a food today. Historically, I'm not too sure

• Saccostrea amasa
  

milky oyster

• Queensland Fisheries: "In northern waters, the milky oyster (Saccostrea amasa) and the black-lip oyster (Saccostrea echinata) are harvested from rocky foreshore areas where they have settled and grown naturally. No aquaculture 'furniture' is allowed to be used in these foreshore areas. The majority of areas cover a maximum of 600 metres foreshore length. In 1997 there were 112 licensed oyster areas incorporating 61 kilometres of foreshore and 59 hectares of culture area...."

Hooded oyster, Coral Rock Oyster

• Relevant Synonyms:
  Saccostrea commercialis
  (Iredale & Roughley, 1933)
• Ostrea forskali ("Chemnitz": Moazzo, 1939)
• Ostrea forskali (Gmelin, 1791: Tillier & Bavay, 1905)

Misidentification
Crassostrea gigas El-Faham, 1997

• Original distribution nearly worldwide in the tropics and subtropics: throughout the Indo-Pacific including the Red Sea (Oliver, 1992), Atlantic in Angola and Gulf of Guinea. Recorded in the Suez Canal (Moazzo, 1939). In the Mediterranean imported in the Adriatic [Chioggia] from where it expanded northwards [St Erasmo isl.]. However, no specimens have been recorded since 1990 (Mizzan, 1999). Egypt (El-Faham, pers. comm.un.), S. Turkey: Erdemli (Kideys, pers. commun.).

• Of high economic interest. Its cultivation is very popular in many parts of the world (Thailand, Australia).

• Saccostrea echinata
  (Quoy & Gaimard).
  

Black lip Oyster

Australia (Introduced)

• Saccostrea glomerata
  (Gould, 1850)
• Syn:Crassostrea commercialis
  (Born, 1778)

Sydney Rock Oysters

• Farming the Sydney Rock Oyster
• Oyster Farmers Assoc. of NSW Ltd: "By the time Captain Phillip arrived in Sydney Harbour in 1788, the Aboriginal population had been harvesting the native oysters for over 50,000 years. Growing naturally on the rocks and mangroves in estuaries along the eastern Australian coastline, these native oysters are commonly known as Sydney rock oysters..."
  "Sydney rock oysters are well balanced, easily digestible, nutritious food, rich in minerals and vitamins. Sydney rock oysters are low in cholesterol and high in omega-3, calcium, iron and zinc. Few foods can compare with oysters in terms of nutritional value..."
• The Oyster Industry Of New South Wales: :The Sydney rock oyster (Commercialis glomerata) formerly (Saccostrea commercialis) is considered a gourmet's delight and is the main focus of oyster production in the State. With a current annual production of around 106 million oysters worth about $30 million, oyster farming has been the most valuable aquaculture industry in New South Wales for over 100 years...."
  

• Saccostrea kegaki
  (Torigoe & Imaba, 1981)

Syn:

• spinosa (Deshayes) & echinata (?)
• Lopha kegaki

Spiny Oyster

• Striostrea (Parastriostrea) mytiloides (Lamarck, 1819)
  

• Tiostrea chilensis
  (Philippi, 1845)

Bluff oysters

See: Ostrea chilensis

• Catastrophic reduction of the oyster, Tiostrea chilensis (Bivalvia: Ostreidae), in Foveaux Strait, New Zealand, due to infestation by the protistan Bonamia sp.

• Tiostrea lutaria
  (Hutton 1873)

Tiostrea lutaria was first introduced to Britain from New Zealand to the MAFF Fisheries Laboratory, Conwy, north Wales

It is a commercially important edible species.

• Aneuploid: an·eu·ploid (an'y?-ploid')
  adj.: Having a chromosome number that is not a multiple of the haploid number for the species.
  

• haploid: hap·loid (hap'loid')
  adj.:
  • Having the same number of sets of chromosomes as a germ cell or half as many as a somatic cell.
    
  • Having a single set of chromosomes.

• Tetraploids: tet·ra·ploid (tet'r?-ploid')
  adj.: Having four times the haploid number of chromosomes in the cell nucleus: a tetraploid species.

• Triploids: trip·loid (trip'loid')
  adj.: Having three times the haploid number of chromosomes in the cell nucleus: triploid somatic cells.
  

• Triploids are are genetically altered oysters that are reproductively inactive and virtually sterile. This is an advantage for marketing oysters in the warm seasons of the year when most oysters (diploids) are typically spawny ( becoming soft and "mushy" during the summer spawning season) or have spawned out completely. Triploids also attain larger size than the normal diploid oysters. For these reasons, there is an advantage to marketing them year-round for the half-shell (raw oysters) trade. , Some growers are concentrating on growing triploids exclusively for the half-shell trade now.

• Chromosome Manipulation:Triploids, Tetraploids, and Aneuploids: "The manipulation of chromosomes and chromosome sets is a major component of our shellfish genetics program...."
• Commercialisation of triploid Sydney rock and Pacific oysters
• Triploid Oysters: "In the mid-1980s researchers at the University of Maine and University of Washington developed methods of creating triploid oysters..."
• Molluscan Aquaculture and the Triploid Oyster: "Triploid oysters grow normally overall but have poorly developed gonads, and therefore do not divert much of their energy into reproduction. The result is a fast-growing, firmer, more palatable product...."
• Bay Journal: Dream come true or nightmare? / Foreign oysters raise hopes for some, worries for others
  

• "In 1993, a new type of polyploid oyster (Crassostrea gigas) was invented at Rutgers University - one that contains four sets of chromosomes."
  

• In 1997 a company was formed to develop tetraploid technology. 4Cs Breeding Technologies, Inc. (4Cs), based in New Jersey, has the exclusive worldwide rights to market and sub-license the tetraploid technology.
• "Tetraploids are not marketed for consumption. Rather, they are used in the hatchery as a highly efficient tool to produce 100% triploid oysters. ..."
• Faster growing, disease resistant and meatier oysters from tetraploid / triploid technology represent the future of a growing hatchery based oyster industry.