Mytilus (mollusc)

Mytilus
Mytilus edulis in the intertidal zone in Cornwall, England
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Subclass:	Pteriomorphia
Order:	Mytiloida
Family:	Mytilidae
Genus:	Mytilus Linnaeus, 1798
Species
See text.

Mytilus edulis shells washed up on the beach

Mytilus is a cosmopolitan genus of medium-sized to large edible saltwater mussels, marine bivalve molluscs in the family Mytilidae.^[1]

Mytilus mussel in California, showing the byssus threads

A bed of blue mussels, Mytilus edulis, in the intertidal zone in northern Norway

Species

Species within the genus Mytilus include:

• Mytilus californianus Conrad, 1837 - California mussel
• Mytilus chilensis (Hupé, 1854)
• Mytilus edulis Linnaeus, 1758 - blue mussel, edible blue mussel
• Mytilus galloprovincialis Lamarck, 1819 - Mediterranean mussel
• Mytilus trossulus Gould, 1850 - foolish mussel

Human use

Mytilus mussels are widely exploited as food and used in mariculture. For instance in California, they are known to have been consumed by coastal Native American people for almost 12 000 years. ^[2]

References

• "Mytilus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=79452. 

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.