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Flame shell

Flame shell ©Polly Whyte/Earth in Focus

Flame shell

It's easy to see where this stunning bivalve got its name from - the bright orange tentacles emerging from the shell really do look like flames!

Scientific name

Limaria hians

When to see

January to December

Species information

Category

Statistics

Length: Up to 4cm
File shell beds are Priority Habitat under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework and a priority marine feature in Scotland's seas. Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas are designated to protect flame shells in Scottish waters.

Habitats

About

The flame shell is also known as a gaping file shell - it gets this name as the shell always remains slightly agape, showcasing its fringe of beautiful orange tentacles. These tentacles are thick and distinctly anemone-like, but don't be fooled - the animal inside is a mollusc. They build themselves a nest to hide in, created using sticky byssus threads and bits of gravel and shell debris. This helps hide the flame shell from hungry predators. Over time, many nests together start to create a flame shell bed (also known as a file shell bed) - this creates a habitat for hundreds of other species, including seaweeds and other invertebrates. This is a subtidal species found from just below low water down to 100m.

How to identify

Often called Britain's most beautiful bivalve, the flame shell is unmistakeable. The rough shell is brownish white, but most distinctive are the bright orange tentacles that grow out of the mollusc's mantle - always visible, even when the valves are pulled together. The shell is always slightly agape.

Distribution

Along the west coast of Scotland, predominantly in Sea Lochs. Individuals are sparsely found on the west coast of Wales, off the Isle of Man and off Plymouth Sound.

Did you know?

A bed of 100 million flame shells was found in Loch Alsh in Scotland in 2012, covering an area of 75 hectares! It is probably the largest flame shell bed in the world and is now designated as a Marine Protected Area.