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
Temporal range: Jurassic–Present
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]

References
  1. A.W.B. Powell, New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1
  2. 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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