Pinctada albina is a species of pearl oyster of the genus Pinctada, known as the sharks bay shell. Another common name is the Arafura shell. It is called the "Amami gai" in Japan.
The species is small, only three to four inches in diameter. The shells are either grayish or greenish yellow and surrounded by a few indistinct brownish-green radial bands. Nacre is tinted yellowish-green, with a slight border of pale yellow, and has brown markings. The shell has a rounded outline, with a nearly equal height and width.Oyster shells are usually oval or pear-shaped, but will vary widely in form depending on what they attach to.Oysters have a strong inner shell layer composed of nacre, also known as "mother of pearl".An oyster can filter 1.3 gallons of water per hour.
Although the population stretches along the northern coast up the Great Barrier Reef, P. albina is predominantly found in Shark Bay, Western Australia. P. albina thrives in relatively shallow waters, which contributed to its being the first Australian pearl oyster discovered. When white adventurers first recruited Aboriginals to collect pearl oysters, they found P. albina, as it was accessible from wading or swimming offshore.
The distribution of P. albina reaches Northern Australia, from Indonesia through the Philippines and up to Micronesia. The widespread distribution is equal to P. maxima. They can also be found in China, Korea, and Vietnam.
