Common piddock or European piddock
- Description
-
Common piddock shells from George Montagu’s collection.
Piddocks burrow into soft rocks (e.g. clay and sandstone). As they grow they enlarge their burrow to fit - they will in habit the same burrow for their entire lives. You may see them at low tide in holes on rockpools at Exmouth and Dawlish. The shape of their shells give this mollusc its other common name of ‘angelwings’.
In January 2020 the Montagu Collection was awarded Designated status by Arts Council England. This mark of distinction recognises the collection’s international significance to the scientific community - it is the most intact and taxonomically important collection of British shells of the early 19th century (1800-1816) to be found anywhere in the UK. - Accession Loan No.
- Moll3646
- Collection Class
- Molluscs
- Common Name
- common piddock or European piddock
- Simple Name
- mollusc: shell
- Full Name
- PHOLADIDAE: Pholas dactylus: common piddock or European piddock
- Period Classification
- George III (1760-1811)
- Family Group
- Collector / Excavator
- Montagu, Colonel George (from the collection of)
- Collection Country
- United Kingdom
- Collection Area Region
- Northern Europe
- Collection Continent
- Europe
- Phylum
- MOLLUSCA
- Family
- PHOLADIDAE
- Genus
- Pholas
- Species
- dactylus
