Lopha is a genus of marine bivalve molluscs in the family Ostreidae.
| Lopha Temporal range:
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| Fossil Lopha sp. from Upper Cretaceous, France | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Ostreida |
| Family: | Ostreidae |
| Genus: | Lopha Röding, 1798 |
| Synonyms | |
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The genus Lopha is present from the Triassic period in the Lower Norian age (216.5 ± 2.0 – 203.6 ± 1.5 Mya) to the recent age.
Description edit
Lopha species have thick, strongly ribbed shells with unequal valves. The margins of the valves have a characteristic zig-zag pattern. The lower valve shows finger-like outgrowths, by which the molluscs adhere to the substrate. These molluscs are stationary, epifaunal, suspension feeders, as they feed by filtering sea water to extract the nutrients.
Species edit
- Lopha affinis Sowerby, 1871
- Lopha capsa Fischer von Waldheim, 1808
- Lopha chemnitzii Hanley, 1846
- Lopha cristagalli C. Linnaeus, 1758
- Lopha frons C. Linnaeus, 1758
- Lopha imbricata J. B. Lamarck, 1819
- Lopha rosacea G. P. Deshayes, 1836
Fossil species edit
- Lopha gregarea, Oxfordian (stage) (160 mya)
- Lopha marshii (Sowerby, 1914), Bajocian (170 mya)
Gallery edit
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Lopha cristagalli -
Lopha colubrina in Naturalis, Leiden
References edit
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