Mediterranean mussel

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Mediterranean mussel
Mytilus galloprovincialis shell.jpg
Two valves of Mytilus galloprovincialis
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Mytilida
Family: Mytilidae
Genus: Mytilus
Species:
M. galloprovincialis
Binomial name
Mytilus galloprovincialis
Lamarck, 1819

The Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) is a species of bivalve, a marine mollusc in the family Mytilidae. It is an invasive species in many parts of the world, and also an object of aquaculture. [1]

Contents

Systematics

Mytilus galloprovincialis is one of the three principal, closely related species in the Mytilus edulis complex of blue mussels, which collectively are widely distributed on the temperate to subarctic coasts of both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and often are dominant inhabitants on hard substrates of the intertidal and nearshore habitats. M. galloprovincialis will often hybridize with its sister taxa, the closely related Mytilus edulis and Mytilus trossulus , when they are found in the same locality. M. galloprovincialis is considered the most warm-water-tolerant species of the three, and has the most southerly distribution in Europe and North America.

Right and left valve of the same specimen:

Distribution

In Europe, Mytilus galloprovincialis is found in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea, and on the Atlantic coasts, in Portugal, north to France and the British Isles and Norway. Recently this species has also been found in the European Arctic including northern Norway and Svalbard. [2]

In the northern Pacific the species is found along the coast of California, where it was introduced from Europe by human activity in the early 20th century, and also in the Puget Sound region of Washington state, where it has been subject to aquaculture. [3] It is also present as an invasive species on the Asian coast throughout Japan, including Ryukyu Islands, as well as in North Korea [4] and around Vladivostok in Russia.

Mytilus galloprovincialis is also present as a native lineage in parts of the Southern Hemisphere. In addition there are populations introduced from the north recently with human activity. These lineages are distinguished by genetic characters. No original Mytilus populations lived in southern Africa, but the Mediterranean mussel was introduced from Europe in 1984 and is now the dominant low intertidal mussel on the West Coast. The distribution spans an area from the Namibian border to Port Alfred, intertidally to just below the low tide border. [5] M. galloprovincialis is also found in New Zealand, Australia and South America.

Description

This animal grows up to 140 mm in length. It is a smooth-shelled mussel with a slightly broader base than that of the black mussel ( Choromytilus meridionalis ), with which it is often confused in South Africa. Its shell is blue-violet [1] or black, but may shade to light brown. [6]

Ecology

The Mediterranean mussel is a filter feeder. It is rare subtidally, which is an alternate means of distinguishing it from the black mussel in South Africa.

Mussels are generally considered as a bioindicators of the whole ecosystem in which they live. The immune system of bivalve molluscs is often chosen as a target parameter to evaluate the welfare of the species and of their surrounding environment. [7] In the Adriatic Sea, Chamelea gallina and Mytilus galloprovincialis share similar variations of the cytotoxic activity during the year. The exertions by the hemolymph of the species are considered a useful biomarker of the immune activity and therefore of the health of mussels. [7]

The immune systems of the clam Chamelea gallina and the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis are influenced by changing environmental parameters such as water acidification, temperature increases and variations in seawater salinity. Those properties describe a typical scenario of the global climate change and bivalve molluscs are considered predictors of its future impact on the health status of both wild and farmed organisms. [8]

Mariculture

Novigrad Mussel

Novigrad Mussel is M. galloprovincialis cultivated in farms in the Novigrad Sea and Novsko Ždrilo in Croatia and product of the Croatian cuisine with European protected designation of origin, conferred by the European Commission. [9] Although Adriatic sea is oligotrophic, estuaric position of Novigrad makes it suitable for aquaculture. [10]

The shell of the Novigrad Mussel has a fan-shaped, triangular, or elongated-oval shape. The body is enclosed by two equal shells, externally black-blueish in color, and internally pale pearly. The length of the longest part of a consumable-sized shellfish is at least 6 cm, while the minimum weight of a shellfish is 20 g. It is particularly known for its high condition index, which is at least 12%. Fresh meat is smooth to the touch, with a soft and elastic consistency, carrying a characteristic scent of the marine algae. The surface of the meat is shiny, moist, and smooth. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clam</span> Common name for several kinds of bivalve molluscs

Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve molluscs. The word is often applied only to those that are edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the seafloor or riverbeds. Clams have two shells of equal size connected by two adductor muscles and have a powerful burrowing foot. They live in both freshwater and marine environments; in salt water they prefer to burrow down into the mud and the turbidity of the water required varies with species and location; the greatest diversity of these is in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mussel</span> Type of bivalve mollusc

Mussel is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which are often more or less rounded or oval.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue mussel</span> Species of mollusc

The blue mussel, also known as the common mussel, is a medium-sized edible marine bivalve mollusc in the family Mytilidae, the mussels. Blue mussels are subject to commercial use and intensive aquaculture. A species with a large range, empty shells are commonly found on beaches around the world.

<i>Rapana venosa</i> Species of gastropod

Rapana venosa, common name the veined rapa whelk or Asian rapa whelk, is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc or whelk, in the family Muricidae, the rock shells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California mussel</span> Species of bivalve

The California mussel is a large edible mussel, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Mytilidae.

<i>Perna perna</i> Species of bivalve

Perna perna, the brown mussel, is an economically important mussel, a bivalve mollusc belonging to the family Mytilidae. It is harvested as a food source but is also known to harbor toxins and cause damage to marine structures. It is native to the waters of Africa, Europe, and South America and was introduced in the waters of North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chilean mussel</span> Species of bivalve

The Chilean mussel or Chilean blue mussel is a species of blue mussel native to the coasts of Chile from Biobío Region to Cape Horn. Today genomic evidence confirmed that the native Chilean blue mussel is genetically distinct from the Northern Hemisphere M. edulis, M. galloprovincialis and M. trossulus and also genetically different from Mytilus platensis,the other species of smooth shelled mussel from South America.

<i>Lithophaga lithophaga</i> Species of bivalve

Lithophaga lithophaga, also known as date shell or date mussel, is a species of Bivalvia belonging to the family Mytilidae.

<i>Mytilus</i> (bivalve) Genus of bivalves

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

<i>Mytilus trossulus</i> Species of bivalve

Mytilus trossulus, the bay mussel or foolish mussel, is a medium-sized edible marine bivalve mollusc in the family Mytilidae.

<i>Chamelea gallina</i> Species of bivalve

Chamelea gallina is a species of small saltwater clam, a marine bivalve in the family Veneridae, the venus clams.

<i>Modiolus modiolus</i> Species of bivalve

Modiolus modiolus, common name northern horsemussel, is a species of marine bivalve mollusk in the family Mytilidae.

<i>Choromytilus meridionalis</i> Species of bivalve

Choromytilus meridionalis, the black mussel, is a species of bivalve. It is a marine mollusc in the family Mytilidae. They are part of the Phylum Mollusca which is the second-largest phylum of invertebrates with around 85,000 species. In this article, we will be discussing the taxonomy, morphology, ecology, reproduction, and distribution of Choromytilus meridionalis.

<i>Fabulina fabula</i> Species of bivalve

Fabulina fabula, the bean-like tellin, is a species of marine bivalve mollusc in the family Tellinidae. It is found off the coasts of northwest Europe, where it lives buried in sandy sediments.

Myticin is a cysteine-rich peptide produced in three isoforms, A, B and C, by Mytilus galloprovincialis, which are found primarily in marine habitats. Myticin is also produced in other species of Mytilus, though the properties of Myticin in Mytilus galloprovincialis is understood to a greater extent. Isoforms A and B show antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria, while isoform C is additionally active against the fungus Fusarium oxysporum and bacterium Escherichia coli. Myticin-prepro is the precursor peptide.

<i>Trichomya</i> Genus of bivalves

Trichomya is a monotypic genus of marine bivalve molluscs in the family Mytilidae, the mussels. The only species is Trichomya hirsuta which is endemic to southern and eastern Australia. Its common names include the hairy mussel, the greenling and the kelp greenling.

<i>Mytilus unguiculatus</i> Species of bivalve

Mytilus unguiculatus, common name the Korean mussel or the hard-shelled mussel, is a species of mussel, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Mytilidae. This species is heavily exploited as a food item via mariculture in Korea and in China. It is also a typical macrofouling organism.

<i>Modiolus barbatus</i> Species of bivalve

Modiolus barbatus, the bearded horse mussel, is a species of "horse mussel", a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Mytilidae, the mussels.

<i>Brachidontes pharaonis</i> Species of bivalve

Brachidontes pharaonis is a species of mussel from the family Mytilidae. It is native to the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, and has colonised the Mediterranean Sea where it is regarded as an invasive species.

Arcuatula perfragilis is a bivalve mollusc of the mussel family, Mytilidae, which has an Indo-Pacific distribution including the Red Sea. It has invaded the eastern Mediterranean from the Red Sea by way of the Suez Canal, a process known as Lessepsian migration.

References

  1. 1 2 Mytilus galloprovincialis (mollusc) Global Invasive Species Database. issg.org
  2. Mathiesen, Sofie Smedegaard; Thyrring, Jakob; Hemmer-Hansen, Jakob; Berge, Jørgen; Sukhotin, Alexey; Leopold, Peter; Bekaert, Michaël; Sejr, Mikael Kristian; Nielsen, Einar Eg (August 2016). "Genetic diversity and connectivity within spp. in the subarctic and Arctic". Evolutionary Applications. 10 (1): 39–55. doi:10.1111/eva.12415. PMC   5192891 . PMID   28035234.
  3. Thomas J. Hilbish, Pamela M. Brannock, Karlie R. Jones, Allison B. Smith, Brooke N. Bullock and David S. Wethey (2010) Historical changes in the distributions of invasive and endemic marine invertebrates are contrary to global warming predictions: the effects of decadal climate oscillations. Journal of Biogeography 37:423–431.
  4. Mytilus galloprovincialis www.nies.go.jp
  5. Branch, G.M., Branch, M.L, Griffiths, C.L. & Beckley, L.E (2005). Two Oceans: a guide to the marine life of southern Africa ISBN   0-86486-672-0
  6. Day, J.H. 1969. Marine Life on South African Shores Balkema, Cape Town
  7. 1 2 D Malagoli; L Casarini; F Fiori; E Ottaviani (2008). "Cytotoxic activity by the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis and the Venus clam Chamelea gallina in the Adriatic sea in 2007" (PDF). Invertebrate Survival Journal. 5 (1): 50–53. ISSN   1824-307X. OCLC   8615572059. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 2, 2013. Retrieved October 17, 2020. (at p. 50 and in the abstract).
  8. Valerio Matozzo; Andrea Chinellato; Marco Munari; Livio Finos; Monica Bressan; Maria Gabriella Marin (2012). "First Evidence of Immunomodulation in Bivalves under Seawater Acidification and Increased Temperature". PLOS ONE. 7 (3): e33820. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...733820M. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0033820 . ISSN   1932-6203. OCLC   805433147. PMC   3313930 . PMID   22479452.
  9. 1 2 "Novigrad Mussel becomes 43rd Croatian product protected". Croatia Week. 28 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  10. Župan, Ivan; Šarić, Tomislav; Mokos, Melita; Gangemi, Jessica; Cipriano, Agnese. "COMPARISON OF MUSSEL PRODUCTION PARAMETERS FROM TRADITIONAL AND IMTA SITESIN THE ADRIATIC SEA (CROATIA)".