Figure 5.1: Illustrations and details of transversal sections of a golden mussel shell (Limnoperna fortunei).
Figure 5.2: Fragment of shell in a resin.
The transversal view of fragmented shells helped identify four layers that make up the shell of L. fortunei. From the external face we can observe:
- Periostracum, the first layer secreted by the mantle folds, made up of essentianlly protein;
- under the periostracum we see a layer with no defined morphology, composed of calcite, denominated as “Calcite Cloud Layer1 “;
- next, a layer of tiles of aragonite or nacreous layer – which occupies almost all of the width of the shell;
- finally, the prismatic aragonite layer.
