Variegated Scallop

• the variegated scallop is up to 6.5cm in length
• this attractive bivalve mollusc shows very variable colouration, being off-white,
• yellow, pink, orange, brick-red, purple, greenish-brown or brown, often with bands or patches of darker or lighter colour
• the inner surface of shell is glossy, often coloured the same as the exterior
• scallops move from one place to another by quickly "clapping" their valves together and ejecting water, creating a type of jet propulsion
• the variegated scallop is common in the sheltered waters of Northern Ireland, particularly Strangford Lough
• variegated scallop form part of the horse mussel community in Strangford Lough
• it has a close association with sponges which often cover the shell
• this species has undergone a rapid decline
• the main threat is the impact of commercial fishing gear
• look for variegated scallop around the low zone of the shores of Strangford Lough avoiding the muddiest areas
• it is rare outside the lough, with scattered records off Ards and south Down, Rathlin Island, Dundrum Bay, Carlingford Lough, Skerries and Murlough Bay