Barbatia barbata is a species of ark clam, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Arcidae, the ark clams.
The shell of an adult Barbatia barbata can be as large as 35–100 millimetres (1.4–3.9 in). The shape of the shell of this common species is quite variable. Usually it is oblong and flattened, with many radial ribs cut by concentric lines. When alive or fresh dead, the shell has a characteristic hairy dark periostracum (hence the Latin name barbata, meaning "bearded"), covering the entire surface of the shell except for the apical part.
This ark clam is found along the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea, especially in Greece, Italy and Tunisia.
This species lives on rocky or coralligenous (coral-bearing) seabed.
Barbatia barbata is a species of ark clam, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Arcidae, the ark clams.
