Hidden in historical sources: Rediscovering the thorny oyster (Spondylus gaederopus Linnaeus, 1758) in art, archives, and cultural knowledge (IMAGE)

PLOS

Hidden in historical sources: Rediscovering the thorny oyster (Spondylus gaederopus Linnaeus, 1758) in art, archives, and cultural knowledge

Caption

Current distribution and field records of Spondylus gaederopus and S. spinosus in the Mediterranean Sea. A. Occurrences of the endemic Spondylus gaederopus and the invasive S. spinosus in the Mediterranean Sea. GBIF occurrence datasets https://doi.org/10.15468/dl.4u6bru (S. gaederopus) and https://doi.org/10.15468/dl.h6nync (S. spinosus) accessed via GBIF.org (08/09/2025), map made on QGIS with NaturalEarth [free vector and raster map data @naturalearthdata.com, public domain]. B. Photography of S. gaederopus taken by a restaurant customer in Apulia (south Italy) in January 2020 (photo credits: Tripadvisor). C. Photography of S. gaederopus taken in September 2025 in a rocky outcrop in Ile Jarre, Western Mediterranean Sea (photo credits: Sylvain Le Bris).

Credit

Merquiol et al., 2026, PLOS One, CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Usage Restrictions

Credit must be given to the creator.

License

CC BY

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.