Other Oyster Species
Flat Tree-Oyster
The Flat-Tree Oyster, Isognomon alatus, ranges from southern Atlantic coast of Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico, down to Brazil and Bermuda. This species is primarily found on mangrove roots, especially the red mangrove (Rhizopora mangle), and can be seen within Eastern Oyster reef clumps on oyster reefs, docks, and pilings. Unlike the Eastern Oyster, Flat Tree-Oysters attach to substrate using byssal threads (small proteinaceous “ropes” extending from the muscular foot).
Atlantic Thorny Oyster
The Atlantic Thorny Oyster, Spondylus americanus, ranges from North Carolina to Texas in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico, and southward towards Venezuela and Brazil. The Atlantic Thorny Oyster can be found on reefs, sea walls, man-made structures, and wrecks, often lodged in crevices and overhangs. Similarly, to the Eastern Oyster, adult Thorny Oysters are sedentary and will occupy the same position throughout their life unless disrupted by a storm.
