Mallorca

"An army of transparent jelly fish and polychrome anemones dons its bright colors, profusely and prodigiously lining the shore. The latter, we could say, are like exuberant fleshy flowers from the depths of the sea, though they are really the ones we commonly find throughout the Mediterranean.

Amongst the mollusks, the first that call our attention are the lithophagous mollusks, hiding deep within the hardest rocks. Amongst these, the most noteworthy are Gastrochaena dubia and G. modiolina, as well as the beautiful and much appreciated Pholas dactylus and P. candida.

Numerous species live buried in the clay and sand; amongst these special mention should be given to Sole vagina, S. siliqua and S. ensis with their long, straight shells shaped like a knife blade. In their company  we also discover the small Donax trunculus, D. semistriata, and Psammobia costulata with its smooth, shiny porcelain-like shell and the multicolored tellin clams. The Venus and Tapes species withstand better outside of the water, both represented by no less than ten varieties along the Mallorcan coasts.

Also populating the low, sandy coast are the beautiful Cytherea chinoe and C. rudis, approximately twelve species of the Cardium genus, Chama gryphoides and C. sinistrosa, Cardita trapezia and C. canaliculata, species from the Arca, Pectunculus and Spondylus genuses common throughout all the Mediterranean, five representatives of the Lucina genus and a dozen more or less of the Pecten genus, amongst which particularly interesting are Pecten pes felis, P. testae and P. maximus. Lastly, we should also point out the abundance of oysters of all types which find a perfect fit and place to grow and prosper atop all types of objects.

Amongst cephalopods, the most common representatives are from the Octopus genus, in particular Octopus vulgaris and O. macropus, visible at any time of year and everywhere. These are followed by two species in the Eledone genus, Eledone cirrhosa and E. moschata. The latter is so well known due to its permanent and long-last musky smell.

Much less frequently we can find the ornate Argonauta argo, whose existence we are aware of more often than not due to its empty shell, deposited on beaches and low coast by the breaking waves. Loligo vulgaris and Sepia officinalis belong to the most numerous animals of this type. Neither is it uncommon to come across a Loligo sagittata, the southern short-fin squid or luda for Mallorcans, and an animal than can reach considerable size."

Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria. Las Baleares por la palabra y el grabado. Majorca: General Part. Ed. Sa Nostra, Caja de Baleares. Palma de Mallorca. 1982.