Margaritana margaritifera

It is considered to be disappearing and is protected by a stop of 07/10/1992. In the last century it was much more widespread: Vologne (Vosges) was paved with molds and in Brittany or in Lozère we picked it up to feed poultry, or to recover the pearls.

The Margaritana Margaritifrera snail is a kind of marine snail that lives in the hot waters of the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean. This snail is known for its spiral shell and for its iridescent white color, similar to that of the pearl. Its size generally varies between 3 and 6 cm. It is mainly nourished by microorganisms which it finds in water, and it is considered as a endangered species due to the overexploitation of its populations for the perliculture industry.

Sexual maturity comes between 15 and 20 years, the mold can live a century. Marginerata is sexy but the reproduction protocol is similar to that of the truck. The larvae live first inside the "maternal" shell, from where they are expelled after a year. They then attach to the gills of the fish. Glochidia (mold larva) parasitize fish, although not systematically, because they can reach the stage of mollusk formed without parasiting. However, this parasitage does not harm fish in any way. No fish is ever dead.