Frilled file shell

Lima lima

Molluscs
IUCN: Not evaluated

Usual depth1–69 m
Water temperature17–29 °C
Best monthsJune
How commonOccasional

All species

About this species

Lima lima, or the spiny fileclam, is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Limidae.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Lima lima”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 1 records
February: 10 records
March: 11 records
April: 6 records
May: 16 records
June: 33 records
July: 15 records
August: 15 records
September: 11 records
October: 4 records
November: 6 records
December: 5 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 1–69 m · Deepest record: 260 m

0–10 m: 27 records
10–20 m: 12 records
20–30 m: 8 records
30–40 m: 2 records
40–50 m: 4 records
50–60 m: 7 records
60–70 m: 7 records
70–80 m: 1 records
80–90 m: 1 records
90–100 m: 0 records
100–110 m: 2 records
110+ m: 2 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 17–29 °C

16–18 °C: 2 records
18–20 °C: 16 records
20–22 °C: 35 records
22–24 °C: 1 records
24–26 °C: 8 records
26–28 °C: 122 records
28–30 °C: 17 records

Names and classification

English: Frilled file shell, Spiny file shell, Spiny fileclam, Spiny lima, frilled file shell, spiny fileclam, Spiny Fileclam, spiny file shell, spiny lima

Names in 3 more languages

German: Feilenmuschel, Gewöhnliche Feilenmuschel
Spanish: peine
French: lime

Other scientific names: Lima (Lima) lima, Lima alba, Lima squamosa, Lima vulgaris, Ostrea lima, Radula lima, Radula squamosa

Similar species

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
910 open-data records from 1758 to 2024.
Species data updated November 4, 2026.

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