Mytilus (bivalve)
Mytilus is a cosmopolitan genus of medium to large-sized edible, mainly saltwater mussels, marine bivalve molluscs in the family Mytilidae.[1]
Mytilus mussel in California, showing the byssus threads
| Mytilus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mytilus edulis in the intertidal zone in Cornwall, England | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Mytilida |
| Family: | Mytilidae |
| Subfamily: | Mytilinae |
| Genus: | Mytilus Linnaeus, 1758 |
| Type species | |
| Mytilus edulis | |
| Species | |
|
See text | |
Mytilus edulis shells washed up on the beach
Species
Species within the genus Mytilus include:
- Mytilus californianus Conrad, 1837 - California mussel
- Mytilus coruscus Gould, 1861 = M. unguiculatus Valenciennes, 1858
- the Mytilus edulis complex:
- Mytilus edulis Linnaeus, 1758 - blue mussel, edible blue mussel
- Mytilus galloprovincialis Lamarck, 1819 - Mediterranean mussel
- Mytilus planulatus Lamarck, 1826 - Australian blue mussel
- Mytilus platensis d'Orbigny, 1842 ( = M. chilensis Hupe, 1854 ) - Chilean blue mussel
- Mytilus trossulus Gould, 1850 - foolish mussel
Human use
Mytilus mussels are widely exploited as food and used in marine-culture. For instance, in California, they have been consumed by coastal Native American people for almost 12 000 years.[2]
gollark: accidentally killed an AP egg I meant to reabandon.
gollark: Or just, you know, AR specifically its page?
gollark: Yes.
gollark: I saw loads. Are they really THAT rare?
gollark: Well, threw away a 6d18h wrapping-wing egg, why not.
References
 |
Wikispecies has information related to Mytilus |
- J. H McDonald, R. Seed and R.K. Koehn (1991) Allozymes and morphometric characters of three species of Mytilus in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Marine Biology 111: 323-333.
- A.W.B. Powell, New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1
- Erlandson, Jon M., T.C. Rick, T.J. Braje, A. Steinberg, & R.L.Vellanoweth. 2008. Human Impacts on Ancient Shellfish: A 10,000 Year Record from San Miguel Island, California. Journal of Archaeological Science 35:2144-2152.
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