Shellfish: The expression “shellfish” is generally used to represent a wide range of marine animals residing in both sea and fresh water, which also have a tough shell, often produced of a material named chitin. They come in several shapes and sizes, differing from very familiar to completely foreign. Some have pincers that can crush bones, whereas others are consumed frequently as a delicacy, and some are even fatal poisonous.
They are animals of the sea that may also traverse the land. It sometimes may get tricky trying to remember each of them along with their exact image. In this article, we have exclusively put together a list of shellfish accompanying the scientific classification of shellfish. The shellfish list with pictures will help you remember the names of different types of shellfish simultaneously with their scientific names.
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List of Shellfish
Names of Shellfish
- Brown Crab
- American Lobster
- Mantis Shrimp
- Butter Clam
- Sea Urchin
- Whelk
- Scallop
- Crab
- Shrimp
- Lobster
- Oyster
- Mussel
- Abalone
- Crayfish
- Cockle
- Prawn
- Snail
Description of the shellfishes given on the list
Brown Crab
The brown crab is primarily known as edible crab, found in the North Atlantic Ocean, maybe in the Mediterranean Sea, and in the North Sea. It has a robust, reddish-brown-colored body and an oval carapace along with a pie crust edging.
They are nocturnal creatures that forage during the night and spend their day hiding in the substrates. These crabs are commercially heavily exploited, and each year tonnes of them get caught in the crab fishery.
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum | Crustacea |
| Class | Malacostraca |
| Order | Decapoda |
| Infraorder | Brachyura |
| Family | Cancridae |
| Genus | Cancer |
| Species | C. Pagurus |
| Scientific name | Cancer Pagurus |
American Lobster
The American lobster, commonly known as Maine Lobster, Canadian Lobster, Atlantic lobster, true lobster, Northern lobster, or Canadian reds, is a type of lobster discovered on the Atlantic coast of North America.
They have been observed in many color variations, but mainly they have a color of bluish-green to brownish with red spines. These lobsters thrive in cold temperatures, feeds on different mollusks, crustaceans, etc., and are a trendy food item.
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum | Crustacea |
| Class | Malacostraca |
| Order | Decapoda |
| Family | Nephropidae |
| Genus | Homarus |
| Species | H. americanus |
| Scientific name | Homarus americanus |
Mantis Shrimp
Mantis shrimp, also known as stomatopods, are carnivorous marine crustaceans belonging to the order of Stomapoda. They usually grow up to the length of 10 cm, while there are some instances where they grow up to 38 cm.
They are ubiquitous, and they kill their prey by stunning, dismembering, or spearing. These shrimps are consumed in many parts across the globe, and there are around 450 species of mantis shrimp available.
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum | Crustacea |
| Class | Malacostraca |
| Subclass | Hoplocarida |
| Order | Stomatopoda |
| Scientific name | Stomatopoda |
Butter Clam
Butter clams, also identified as Washington clams, money shells, smooth Washington clams, are giant and edible clams belonging to the family of Veneridae. Discovered along the western coast of North America, these clams have numerous valve species, and they live buried in soft sediments.
They are filter feeders and hence use water to remove planktonic organisms and other phytoplanktons.
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Mollusca |
| Class | Bivalvia |
| Subclass | Heterodonta |
| Order | Venerida |
| Family | Veneridae |
| Genus | Saxidomus |
| Species | S. gigantea |
| Binomial name | Saxidomus gigantea |
Sea Urchin
Sea urchins refer to globular and spiny animals, echinoderms, belonging to the Echinoidea class. They have stiff, pointy, and round shells and are very slow-moving creatures. Sea urchins mainly feed on algae but are also found feeding on other slow-moving animals.
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Echinodermata |
| Subphylum | Echinozoa |
| Class | Echinoidea |
| Scientific name | Echinoidea |
Whelk
Whelk, also referred to as scungilli, is the common name given to various types of sea snails consumed by different animals and human beings as food. They contain fat, food energy, protein, carbohydrates and are prepared and served in different ways across the globe.
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Mollusca |
| Class | Gastropoda |
| Order | Neogastropoda |
| Superfamily | Buccinodea |
| Scientific name | Buccinum undatum |
Scallop
It is a marine bivalve mollusk belonging to the family of Pectinidae and can be found across all the oceans in the World. They have over 300 existing species and are known as the largest living bivalves.
These are filter feeders and are pretty popular as an Eastern and Western cuisine. Some scallops have a concise life, but some can live up to the age of 20.
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Mollusca |
| Class | Bivalvia |
| Order | Ostreoida |
| Suborder | Pectinina |
| Superfamily | Pectinoidea |
| Family | Pectinidae |
| Genus | Pecten |
| Scientific name | Pectinidae |
Crab
Crabs are decapod crustaceans belonging to the order of Brachyura. They are found in all the World’s freshwater oceans and land. They have a thick exoskeleton and are seen walking sideways because of their legs. Crabs are consumed worldwide, and there are many different cuisines prepared with them.
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum | Crustacea |
| Class | Malacostraca |
| Order | Decapoda |
| Suborder | Pleocyemata |
| (unranked) | Reptantia |
| Infraorder | Brachyura |
Shrimp
Shrimps are decapod crustaceans with elongated bodies, muscular and narrow tails, thin legs, and long whiskers. There are abundant species of shrimps, and they are mostly found on the seafloor of rivers, estuaries, coasts, and lakes. They are consumed by many people all over the World and have high calcium, protein, and iodine.
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum | Crustacea |
| Class | Malacostraca |
| Order | Decapoda |
| Suborder | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder | Caridea |
| Scientific name | Caridea |
Lobster
Lobsters refer to the family of large marine crustaceans that live in caves and crevices of the ocean floor. They have long bodies, muscular tails, and five pairs of legs, out of which three teams have claws. The lobsters are extremely popular as seafood items and are very profitable for the coastal regions.
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum | Crustacea |
| Class | Malacostraca |
| Order | Decapoda |
| Superfamily | Nephropoidea |
| Family | Nephropidae |
Oyster
Oyster is a common name used for referring to several saltwater bivalve mollusc families that live in brackish or marine waters. There are different types of oysters, and some of them are even consumed as food by humans.
The pearl oysters are harvested for the pearl they produce within the mantle, and the windowpane oysters are gathered because of their translucent shells.
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Mollusca |
| Class | Bivalvia |
| Subclass | Pteriomorphia |
Mussel
Mussel is the common name given to several bivalve mollusc families, living either in saltwater or freshwater habitats. They have an asymmetrical, elongated shell whose colour is mainly brownish, dark bluish, or blackish. Humans consume mussels all over the World, and around 17 species of mussels are considered to be edible.
| Domain | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Mollusca |
| Class | Bivalvia |
Abalone
Abalone is a common name that refers to any group of small to large marine gastropod molluscs belonging to the family of Haliotidae. They are marine shells that have a low and open spiral structure and have numerous open respiratory pores.
There are over 230 species available, and the flesh of abalones is consumed widely since it is regarded as a desirable food.
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Mollusca |
| Class | Gastropoda |
| Subclass | Vetigastropoda |
| Family | Haliotidae |
| Genus | Haliotis |
Crayfish
Crayfish, also known as freshwater lobsters, yabbies, crawdaddies, mudbugs, and crawdads, is a freshwater crustacean related to small lobsters and hence resembles them a lot. They have feather-like gills and are unable to tolerate polluted water.
They feed on both plants and animals. Crayfish is a Swedish cuisine, and only a part of it is edible and consumed worldwide.
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum | Crustacea |
| Class | Malacostraca |
| Order | Decapoda |
| Suborder | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder | Astacidea |
| Scientific name | Cambarus sp. |
Cockle
Cockle refers to an edible, marine bivalve mollusc. Many small and edible bivalve molluscs are referred to as cockles, but true cockles belong to the Cardiidae family and live on sheltered and sandy beaches. They live buried inside sediments and can completely close their shells without leaving any gap.
They are a very popular edible shellfish that is cooked in Eastern and Western cuisine.
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Mollusc |
| Class | Bivalvia |
| Subclass | Heterodonta |
| Order | Cardiida |
| Superfamily | Cardioidea |
| Family | Cardiidae |
Prawn
Prawn is a common name used for referring to small marine crustaceans that have ten legs along with an exoskeleton. The term originated in Britain and is used primarily in Ireland, United Kingdom, and commonwealth nations. In the region of North America, the time Prawn is not used very frequently and is typically used for referring to freshwater shrimps.
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Class | Malacostraca |
| Order | Decapods |
| Family | Dendrobranchiata |
| Scientific name | Dendrobranchiata |
Snail
Snails refer to shelled gastropods. These are slow-moving creatures consumed by human beings and, their shells are used for preparing decorative items. They feed during the night, mainly consuming decaying organic matter, lichen, animal faeces, other slugs, green foliage, worms, and centipedes. They are kept as pets.
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Mollusca |
| Class | Gastropoda |
| Scientific name | Gastropoda |
