| Modiolus modiolus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Right valve of a Modiolus modiolus | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Mytilida |
| Family: | Mytilidae |
| Genus: | Modiolus |
| Species: | M. modiolus |
| Binomial name | |
| Modiolus modiolus | |
Modiolus modiolus, common name northern horsemussel (Scottish Gaelic: clabaidh-dubh, Scots: clabbydoo), is a species of marine bivalve mollusk in the family Mytilidae.
Modiolus modiolus is a large mussel growing to 22 cm (9ins) long though 10 cm (4ins) is a more typical size. The shell is purplish or dark blue and robust, with horny protuberances when young. The two valves are roughly triangular or bluntly oblong with rounded umbones near the anterior end. The annual growth lines are clear and there is a fine sculpturing of concentric grooves and ridges. The interior of the shell is white with a broad pallial line, large anterior adductor muscle scar and smaller posterior adductor muscle scar. The body is deep orange and the mantle is unfrilled. The shell is firmly attached to the substrate by byssus threads. [1] In Scottish Gaelic, the species is called 'clabaidh-dubha' ('clabby doos'), meaning 'big black mouths'. [2] More recently in Scotland the species is commonly known and referred to as 'clappy-doo'. [3] In the Shetland dialect, they are known as "yoags".
Right and left valve of the same specimen:
M. modiolus can be found along the Atlantic coast of North America, from the Arctic Ocean to Florida, and along the Pacific coast, from the Arctic Ocean to California. [4] It is also found on the European seaboard of the Atlantic Ocean from the United Kingdom northwards. [1] It is found from low tide mark to depths of 50 metres in British waters and 80 metres off the coast of Nova Scotia. [5] The largest horse mussel bed in Scotland is near Noss Head in Caithness. [6] [7] While it is also found in the Baltic Sea, it has become a vulnerable species there. [8]
M. modiolus is found growing on hard substrates including shells and stones and the byssus threads of other mussels. Survival rates of young individuals are low but by the time they reach about 4 cm long, at an age of 4 years, individuals are too large and tough to be predated upon by starfish such as Asterias rubens , the whelk Buccinum undatum and crabs. Juveniles growing on byssus threads are more likely to survive than free living individuals and this results in the formation of cold-water reefs of mussels. [9] These mostly occur in locations with fairly strong currents. The species is tolerant of low levels of oxygen and of a diminished quantity of the phytoplankton on which they feed. [9] The boring sponge Cliona celata sometimes damages the shells of older individuals. [10]
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.
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.
Atrina fragilis, the fan mussel, is a species of large saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Pinnidae, the pen shells.
A bivalve shell is part of the body, the exoskeleton or shell, of a bivalve mollusk. In life, the shell of this class of mollusks is composed of two hinged parts or valves. Bivalves are very common in essentially all aquatic locales, including saltwater, brackish water, and freshwater. The shells of bivalves commonly wash up on beaches and along the edges of lakes, rivers, and streams. Bivalves by definition possess two shells or valves, a "right valve" and a "left valve", that are joined by a ligament. The two valves usually articulate with one another using structures known as "teeth" which are situated along the hinge line. In many bivalve shells, the two valves are symmetrical along the hinge line—when truly symmetrical, such an animal is said to be equivalved; if the valves vary from each other in size or shape, inequivalved. If symmetrical front-to-back, the valves are said to be equilateral, and are otherwise considered inequilateral.
Chlamys varia, also called Mimachlamys varia common name the variegated scallop, is a species of small scallop, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Pectinidae, the scallops. It occurs in the North Sea, the English Channel, the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea.
Ostrea lurida, common name the Olympia oyster, after Olympia, Washington in the Puget Sound area, is a species of edible oyster, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Ostreidae. This species occurs on the northern Pacific coast of North America. Over the years the role of this edible species of oyster has been partly displaced by the cultivation of non-native edible oyster species.
Amygdalum papyrium, common name the Atlantic paper mussel, is a species of marine bivalve mollusc in the family Mytilidae, the true mussels. This species occurs along the Atlantic coast of North America, from Maryland to Florida, as well as in the Gulf of Mexico, from Texas to Mexico.
Isognomon alatus, the flat tree oyster, is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Isognomonidae. It can be found along the Atlantic coast of North America, ranging from southern Florida to Brazil and Bermuda.
Astarte borealis, or the northern astarte, is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Astartidae. It can be found along the Atlantic coast of North America, ranging from Greenland to Massachusetts.
Abra alba, or the white furrow shell, is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Semelidae. It occurs in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, where it lives on the floor in shallow areas buried in soft sediments.
Thracia convexa is a bivalve mollusc in the family Thraciidae.
Crassadoma is a genus of rock scallops, marine bivalve molluscs in the family Pectinidae. It is monotypic, the only species being Crassadoma gigantea, the rock scallop, giant rock scallop or purple-hinge rock scallop. Although the small juveniles are free-swimming, they soon become sessile, and are cemented to the substrate. These scallops occur in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Enigmonia is a genus of saltwater clams, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Anomiidae, the jingle shells. Enigmonia aenigmatica, the mangrove jingle shell clam, is the only species in this monotypic genus. It is found living on mangroves in the Indo-Pacific Ocean.
Stomphia coccinea is a small reddish, orange or brownish coloured species of sea anemone in the family Actinostolidae from the North Atlantic, North Pacific and Arctic Ocean. It can swim away when necessary in order to escape a predator.
Pinna rudis, the rough pen shell or spiny fan-mussel, is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Pinnidae. It is the type species of the genus Pinna. Knowledge about this is sparse, with an absence of specific studies and literature.
Modiolus barbatus, the bearded horse mussel, is a species of "horse mussel", a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Mytilidae, the mussels.
Modiolus capax, common name fat horsemussel, is a species of "horse mussel", a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Mytilidae, the mussels. It was first described to science by American malacologist Timothy Abbott Conrad in 1837. The type specimen was collected in San Diego by Thomas Nuttall.
Modiolus philippinarum, common name Philippine horse mussel, is a species of "horse mussel", a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Mytilidae, the mussels.
Modiolus auriculatus, the eared horse mussel, is a bivalve mollusc of the family, Mytilidae, which has a natural range in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It has colonised the eastern Mediterranean Sea from the Red Sea by Lessepsian migration via the Suez Canal.
Lasaea rubra is a species of small marine bivalve mollusc in the family Lasaeidae. It is found on the eastern side of the Atlantic Ocean. This species was first described in 1803 by the English naturalist George Montagu who gave it the name Cardium rubrum. It was later transferred to the genus Lasaea, making it Lasaea rubra.
| Authority control databases: National |
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