Great (or Pilgrim) Scallop

Family Pectinidae

• Portuguese: Vieira
• Spanish: Vieira, Concha de peregrino
• French: Coquille Saint-Jacques
• Dutch: St Jacobsschelp
• German: Kammuschel
• Russian: Grebeshok
• Swedish: Kammussla
• Norwegian: Kamskjell
• Danish: Kammusling
• Icelandic: Risadiskur
• Other: Godfiche (Normandy); Cragen gylchog (Welsh)

REMARKS Maximum diameter about 16 cm. The shell is usually whitish, brown or pinkish. The species has a range from Norway to Portugal. P. maximus has a special religious significance, since its shell has for very many centuries been the badge worn by pilgrims to the shrine of Saint James at Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.