Scallop is a common name that is primarily applied to any one of numerous species of saltwater clams or marine bivalve mollusks in the taxonomic family ...ScallopFromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopediaJumptonavigationJumptosearchCommonnameforseveralshellfish,manyedibleForverbsenses,seeScalloping.Forpotatoscallops,seePotatocake.Forscallopedpotatoes,seeGratin§ Potatoesgratiné.Forthecutofmeat,seeEscalope.Forthescallopshellmoth,seeRheumapteraundulata.ScallopTemporalrange:MiddleTriassic-presentArgopectenirradians,theAtlanticbayscallopScientificclassificationKingdom:AnimaliaPhylum:MolluscaClass:BivalviaOrder:PectinidaSuperfamily:PectinoideaFamily:PectinidaeWilkes,1810GeneraSeetextScallop(/ˈskɒləp,ˈskæləp/)[a]isacommonnamethatisprimarilyappliedtoanyoneofnumerousspeciesofsaltwaterclamsormarinebivalvemollusksinthetaxonomicfamilyPectinidae,thescallops.However,thecommonname"scallop"isalsosometimesappliedtospeciesinothercloselyrelatedfamilieswithinthesuperfamilyPectinoidea,whichalsoincludesthethornyoysters.Scallopsareacosmopolitanfamilyofbivalveswhicharefoundinalloftheworld'soceans,althoughneverinfreshwater.Theyareoneofveryfewgroupsofbivalvestobeprimarily"free-living",withmanyspeciescapableofrapidlyswimmingshortdistancesandevenofmigratingsomedistanceacrosstheoceanfloor.Asmallminorityofscallopspecieslivecementedtorockysubstratesasadults,whileothersattachthemselvestostationaryorrootedobjectssuchasseagrassatsomepointintheirlivesbymeansofafilamenttheysecretecalledabyssalthread.Themajorityofspecies,however,liverecumbentonsandysubstrates,andwhentheysensethepresenceofapredatorsuchasastarfish,theymayattempttoescapebyswimmingswiftlybuterraticallythroughthewaterusingjetpropulsioncreatedbyrepeatedlyclappingtheirshellstogether.Scallopshaveawell-developednervoussystem,andunlikemostotherbivalvesallscallopshavearingofnumeroussimpleeyessituatedaroundtheedgeoftheirmantles.Manyspeciesofscallopsarehighlyprizedasafoodsource,andsomearefarmedasaquaculture.Theword"scallop"isalsoappliedtothemeatofthesebival