[6] As with other members of its genus, Pinna nobilis hosts symbiotic crustaceans which live inside its shell; in this case it is the shrimp Pontonia pinnophylax and the pea crab Nepinnotheres pinnotheres.

[8] Right and left valve of the same specimen: This species is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, where it lives offshore at depths ranging between 0.5 and 60 m (1.6 and 196.9 ft).

The cause of the disease was a newly discovered pathogen, Haplosporidium pinnae, which still poses a serious threat to the survival of the species.

The European Council Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC, on conservation of natural habitats and the wild fauna and flora, proclaims that P. nobilis is strictly protected (by the Annex IV of EEC, 1992) – all forms of deliberate capture or killing of fan mussel specimens are prohibited by law.

[10] As part of the Costa Concordia disaster recovery effort in Italy in 2012, a group of about 200 Pinna nobilis was relocated to a nearby area due to the threat posed by subsequent engineering work.

[16] The byssus of Atrina pectinata, a shell of the same family, has been used in Sardinia as a substitute for Pinna nobilis, to weave sea silk.