Mytilus galloprovincialis

The Mediterranean Mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) is native to the Mediterranean, Black, and Adriatic Seas, but has spread (mostly via ballast water and ship hull fouling) to many other regions worldwide. These mussels usually occur in the low intertidal zone of exposed rocky coasts with relatively high wave energy, although in their native range they are also found growing in dense patches on the sandy-muddy bottoms of brackish lagoons (Ceccherelli and Rossi 1984). Although this species is cultivated as food for humans in some parts of Asia, in most of its non-native range it has become a nuisance species, displacing natives, and the IUCN/SSC* Invasive Species Specialist Group has nominated Mytilus galloprovincialis as among the 100 "World's Worst" invaders.

*International Union for Conservation of Nature, Species Survival Commission

Asilah, Belgian Exclusive Economic Zone, Bizerte Lagoon, British Isles, Cabo Negro, Dakhla, De Haan, Essaouira, European waters (ERMS scope), Georgian Exclusive Economic Zone, Ghar El Melh lagoon, Greek Exclusive Economic Zone, Gulf of Gabès, Irish Exclusive economic Zone, Ksar-Sghir, Langebaan Lagoon, Mirhleft, Moroccan Exclusive Economic Zone, Nador, New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone, North Adriatic, North Coast of Tunisia, Plage Guy ville, Russian part of the Black Sea, Saldanha Bay, South Coast of Africa, South Coast of England, South Coast of Ireland, South Wales, South West Coast of Apulia, Taghazout, Tan-tan, Tunis Gulf, Tunis Lagoon, Ukrainian Exclusive Economic Zone, United Kingdom Exclusive Economic Zone, West Coast of England, West Coast of Ireland, West Coast of South Africa, Wimereux, Zemmour

Native range (alphabetical by country): Algeria, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Egypt, Europe, France, Greece, Italy, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Macedonia, Morocco, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine

"Alien" range (alphabetical by country/region): Africa, Australia, Canada, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, Mediterranean, Mexico, Namibia, Netherlands, Republic of Korea, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States (including Hawaii)

(Global Invasive Species Database)

“Mytilus galloprovincialis is dark blue or brown to almost black. The two shells are equal and nearly quadrangular. The outside is black-violet coloured; on one side the rim of the shell ends with a pointed and slightly bent umbo while the other side is rounded, although shell shape varies by region. It also tends to grow larger than its cousins, up to 15cm, although typically only 5-8cm.” (IUCN/SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG))

Because the shells of Mytilus species are similar and can vary depending on their environment, it’s difficult or impossible to visually distinguish M. galloprovincialis from Mytilus edulis and Mytilus trossulus. Furthermore, M. galloprovincialis and M. trossulus can hybridize (Suchanek et al. 1997). Genetic analyses are necessary to make a positive identification.

Known from the nearshore.

Marine and estuarine.

“In its native range, M. galloprovincialis can be found from exposed rocky outer coasts to sandy bottoms (Ceccherelli and Rossi 1984). As an invader it typically requires rocky coastlines with a high rate of water flow...(Carlton 1992)."

(Global Invasive Species Database)

Depth range based on 45 specimens in 1 taxon.
Water temperature and chemistry ranges based on 6 samples.

Environmental ranges
  Depth range (m): 1 - 76
  Temperature range (°C): 7.556 - 9.030
  Nitrate (umol/L): 0.437 - 0.459
  Salinity (PPS): 18.292 - 18.622
  Oxygen (ml/l): 6.427 - 6.964
  Phosphate (umol/l): 0.273 - 0.546
  Silicate (umol/l): 18.377 - 28.168

Graphical representation

Depth range (m): 1 - 76

Temperature range (°C): 7.556 - 9.030

Nitrate (umol/L): 0.437 - 0.459

Salinity (PPS): 18.292 - 18.622

Oxygen (ml/l): 6.427 - 6.964

Phosphate (umol/l): 0.273 - 0.546

Silicate (umol/l): 18.377 - 28.168
 
Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.

Mytilus galloprovincialis is prey of:
Carcinus maenas
Ciliata mustella

Based on studies in:
Portugal (Estuarine)

This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.

Mytilus galloprovincialis preys on:
detritus

Based on studies in:
Portugal (Estuarine)

This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 147
Specimens with Barcodes: 176
Species With Barcodes: 1

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.

There are 132 barcode sequences available from BOLD and GenBank.  Below is a sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species.  See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen and other sequences.

Download FASTA File

Genomic DNA is available from 7 specimens with morphological vouchers housed at Ocean Genome Legacy