Paphies australis
Encyclopedia
Paphies australis or pipi (from the Māori language
) is a bivalve mollusc of the family
Mesodesmatidae
, endemic
to New Zealand
.
The pipi is a shellfish with a solid white, elongated symmetrical shell with the apex at the middle. It is covered by a thin yellow periostracum
. Its closest relative, the tuatua (Paphies subtriangulata
), has an asymmetrical shell, with an off-centre hinge.
The pipi is abundant on flat sandy beaches, in sandy and silty mud in estuaries, and harbours where there is considerable water flow.
By releasing a thread of mucus, which makes them more buoyant, they are able to float in the water column and move to new locations. Where they find good living conditions, their numbers can exceed more than 1000 individuals per square metre.
Pipi are edible and easily collected for food; traditional cooking methods include boiling and making into fritters. The harvest limit is 50 per person per day, and although a minimum size is not stipulated in the regulations, only larger pipi should be taken. For Māori, pipi are a traditional food resource, and in earlier times were gathered in specific flax baskets. Smaller specimens would fall between the woven strips and back into the beds as the basket was gently swirled through the water.
Maximum length is 83 mm, and height 51 mm.
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
) is a bivalve mollusc of the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Mesodesmatidae
Mesodesmatidae
Mesodesmatidae is a family of marine bivalve clams of the order Veneroida.-Genera:* Atactodea Dall, 1895* Donacilla* Mesodesma Deshayes, 1832* Monterosatus* Paphies Lesson, 1830-References:...
, endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
The pipi is a shellfish with a solid white, elongated symmetrical shell with the apex at the middle. It is covered by a thin yellow periostracum
Periostracum
The periostracum is a thin organic coating or "skin" which is the outermost layer of the shell of many shelled animals, including mollusks and brachiopods. Among mollusks it is primarily seen in snails and clams, i.e. in bivalves and gastropods, but it is also found in cephalopods such as the...
. Its closest relative, the tuatua (Paphies subtriangulata
Paphies subtriangulata
Paphies subtriangulata is a species of edible bivalve clam known as tuatua in the Māori language, a member of the family Mesodesmatidae and endemic to New Zealand. It is found on all three of the main New Zealand islands, buried in fine clean sand on ocean beaches.The large shell is asymmetrical,...
), has an asymmetrical shell, with an off-centre hinge.
The pipi is abundant on flat sandy beaches, in sandy and silty mud in estuaries, and harbours where there is considerable water flow.
By releasing a thread of mucus, which makes them more buoyant, they are able to float in the water column and move to new locations. Where they find good living conditions, their numbers can exceed more than 1000 individuals per square metre.
Pipi are edible and easily collected for food; traditional cooking methods include boiling and making into fritters. The harvest limit is 50 per person per day, and although a minimum size is not stipulated in the regulations, only larger pipi should be taken. For Māori, pipi are a traditional food resource, and in earlier times were gathered in specific flax baskets. Smaller specimens would fall between the woven strips and back into the beds as the basket was gently swirled through the water.
Maximum length is 83 mm, and height 51 mm.