Zigzag scallop shells show a wavy, crenulated pattern along their outer edges and have several colored rays varying from white to orange, yellow, or gray.

Zigzag scallops have been found historically in several areas around Bermuda, including Harrington Sound, where they were once a popular catch among recreational fishers.

Besides Bermuda, zigzag scallops can be found off Cape Hatteras in North Carolina, throughout the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, and as far south as Santa Catarina, Brazil.

Zigzag scallops inhabit shallow waters between two and seven meters deep near the shore and form beds in sandy areas.

Their concave upper valves hold a thin layer of sediment that is thought to prevent fouling organisms from colonizing.

Given the chance, a variety of fouling organisms will colonize scallop shells, including algae, barnacles, polychaete tube worms, sponges, hydrozoans, bryozoans, and even other molluscs.

Like other bivalve molluscs, Bermuda scallops feed by passively filtering plankton and organic matter from the surrounding water.

Because of their submerged, sand-dwelling lifestyle, zigzag scallops in particular extend their tentacles out of the sediment so they can continue to filter-feed even when the rest of their bodies are buried in the sand.