Mytilopsis leucophaeata

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Mytilopsis leucophaeata
Mytilopsis leucophaeata.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Subclass: Heterodonta
Order: Myida
Superfamily: Dreissenoidea
Family: Dreissenidae
Genus: Mytilopsis
Species:
M. leucophaeata
Binomial name
Mytilopsis leucophaeata
(Conrad, 1831)

Mytilopsis leucophaeata is a species of small bivalve mollusc in the false mussel family, Dreissenidae. It is commonly known as Conrad's false mussel or the dark false mussel.

Contents

Identification

It can look very similar to the zebra mussel, with similar stripes, but it can be distinguished from it by an apophysis or projection on the inside of the shell near the umbo. [1] Shell length ranges between <1 and 2 cm, with an average length of 1 cm. [2]

Distribution

This species is native in the Gulf of Mexico, [3] and spread from there via ballast water, or attached to oysters that were moved, to the Hudson River in the 1930s, [4] [5] and from there to other estuaries in the eastern US including Chesapeake Bay [6] as well as to the Pernambuco coast in northeastern Brazil. [7] This species also spread via ballast water to brackish waters in Europe, including the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea as well as the Black Sea [5] [8] and the Caspian Sea. [8]

Like the zebra mussel, this species is a significant biofouling pest in many countries, especially where it has been introduced in Europe.

Habitat

Mytilopsis leucophaeata is found in brackish water, at salinities ranging from 0.5 psu to about 12 psu, although its upper salinity limit is usually about 5–6 psu. It attaches to hard substrates, including oyster and true mussel shells and cages for them, rocks, boats, and pilings, and also to ropes. [9]

Related Research Articles

Bivalvia Class of molluscs

Bivalvia, in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class of marine and freshwater molluscs that have laterally compressed bodies enclosed by a shell consisting of two hinged parts. Bivalves as a group have no head and they lack some usual molluscan organs like the radula and the odontophore. They include the clams, oysters, cockles, mussels, scallops, and numerous other families that live in saltwater, as well as a number of families that live in freshwater. The majority are filter feeders. The gills have evolved into ctenidia, specialised organs for feeding and breathing. Most bivalves bury themselves in sediment where they are relatively safe from predation. Others lie on the sea floor or attach themselves to rocks or other hard surfaces. Some bivalves, such as the scallops and file shells, can swim. The shipworms bore into wood, clay, or stone and live inside these substances.

Zebra mussel Species of bivalve

The zebra mussel is a small freshwater mussel. The species was originally native to the lakes of southern Russia and Ukraine, but has been accidentally introduced to numerous other areas and has become an invasive species in many countries worldwide. Since the 1980s, the species has invaded the Great Lakes, Hudson River, and Lake Travis.

<i>Dreissena</i> Genus of bivalves

Dreissena is a genus of small freshwater mussels in the family Dreissenidae. The exact taxonomy of the species within the genus Dreissena is, however, uncertain.

<i>Mytilopsis sallei</i> Species of bivalve

Mytilopsis sallei, the black-striped mussel, is a small marine bivalve mollusc in the family Dreissenidae, the false mussels.

The Dreissenidae are a family of small freshwater mussels, aquatic bivalve molluscs. They attach themselves to stones or to any other hard surface using a byssus. The shells of these bivalves are shaped somewhat like those of true mussels, and they also attach themselves to a hard substrate using a byssus, however this group is not at all closely related to true mussels, being more closely related to the venus clams (Veneridae).

<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.

Unionidae Family of molluscs

The Unionidae are a family of freshwater mussels, the largest in the order Unionida, the bivalve molluscs sometimes known as river mussels, or simply as unionids.

Pteriomorphia Subclass of bivalves

The Pteriomorphia comprise a subclass of saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs. It contains several major orders, including the Arcida, Ostreida, Pectinida, Limida, Mytilida, and Pteriida. It also contains some extinct and probably basal families, such as the Evyanidae, Colpomyidae, Bakevelliidae, Cassianellidae, and Lithiotidae.

<i>Urosalpinx cinerea</i> Species of gastropod

Urosalpinx cinerea, common name the eastern oyster drill or Atlantic oyster drill, is a species of small predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murexes or rock snails.

Freshwater bivalves are one kind of freshwater mollusc, along with freshwater snails. They are bivalves which live in freshwater, as opposed to saltwater, the main habitat type for bivalves.

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

Perna viridis, known as the Asian green mussel, is an economically important mussel, a bivalve belonging to the family Mytilidae. It is harvested for food but is also known to harbor toxins and cause damage to submerged structures such as drainage pipes. It is native in the Asia-Pacific region but has been introduced in the Caribbean, and in the waters around Japan, North America, and South America.

<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.

Pseudofeces

Pseudofeces or pseudofaeces are a specialized method of expulsion that filter-feeding bivalve mollusks use in order to get rid of suspended particles such as particles of grit which cannot be used as food, and which have been rejected by the animal. The rejected particles are wrapped in mucus, and are then expelled without having passed through the digestive tract. Thus, although they may closely resemble the mollusk's real feces, they are not actually feces, hence the name pseudofeces, meaning false feces.

<i>Pinctada radiata</i> Species of bivalve

Pinctada radiata, commonly known as the Atlantic pearl-oyster or the Gulf pearl oyster is a species of pearl oyster distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific. Its range extends as far north as Japan and as far south as the Australian state of Victoria.

<i>Ischadium</i> Genus of bivalves

Ischadium is a monotypic genus of mussels in the family Mytilidae. The sole species is Ischadium recurvum, known as the "hooked mussel" or "bent mussel". It can be found along the Atlantic coast of North America, ranging from Cape Cod to the West Indies. They are often found growing on Eastern oysters, either intertidal or subtidal. They also attach to other hard substrates, including artificial reefs and dead shells of brackish water clams, Rangia cuneata.

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

Lithophaga aristata, or the scissor date mussel, is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Mytilidae. It can be found along the Atlantic coast of North America, ranging from North Carolina to Texas and the West Indies.

2010 Bivalvia taxonomy

In May 2010, a new taxonomy of the Bivalvia was published in the journal Malacologia. The 2010 taxonomy is known as the Taxonomy of the Bivalvia . The 2010 taxonomy was published as Nomenclator of Bivalve Families with a Classification of Bivalve Families. This was a revised system for classifying bivalve mollusks such as clams, oysters, scallops, mussels and so on. In compiling this new taxonomy, the authors used a variety of phylogenetic information including molecular analysis, anatomical analysis, shell morphology and shell microstructure, as well as bio-geographic, paleobiogeographical and stratigraphic information.

<i>Arcuatula senhousia</i> Species of mollusc

Arcuatula senhousia, commonly known as the Asian date mussel, Asian mussel or bag mussel, is a small saltwater mussel, a marine bivalve mollusk species in the family Mytilidae, the mussels. Other common names for this species include: the Japanese mussel, Senhouse's mussel, the green mussel, and the green bagmussel. It is harvested for human consumption in China.

<i>Indosphenia kayalum</i> Species of bivalve

Indosphenia kayalum is a small bivalve species inhabiting fragmented brackish-water habitats around Kochi backwater, Kerala. The specific name kayalum is derived from kayal, the Malayalam name for these backwaters. This species was described in 2018 from the Ezhupunna region of Cochin Backwater, Vembanad Lake along with other myid clam Mytilopsis and brackish water gastropod Nassodonta insignis. This is the fifth species described in the genus Indosphenia. The other species recognized under this genus are Indosphenia cochinensis, Indosphenia abbreviata, Indosphenia abbreviata chilkaensis and Indosphenia sowerbyi.

References

  1. "Mytilopsis leucophaeata" (PDF). Främmande arter i svenska hav (Alien species in Swedish seas) . Informationscentralerna för Bottniska viken, Egentliga Östersjön och Västerhavet.External link in |work= (help)
  2. "Mytilopsis leucophaeata — the False Dark Mussel". ZMIS information on zebra mussels. Zebra Mussel Research Program, US Army Corps of Engineers. Archived from the original on 2009-01-09. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
  3. Therriault TW, Docker MF, Orlova MI, Heath DD, MacIsaac HJ (March 2004). "Molecular resolution of the family Dreissenidae (Mollusca: Bivalvia) with emphasis on Ponto-Caspian species, including first report of Mytilopsis leucophaeata in the Black Sea basin". Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 30 (3): 479–89. doi:10.1016/S1055-7903(03)00240-9. PMID   15012933. as PDF
  4. Walton, W. C. (1996). "Occurrence of Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) in the Oligohaline Hudson River, New York". Estuaries. 19 (3): 612–8. doi:10.2307/1352521. JSTOR   1352521. S2CID   83515447.
  5. 1 2 Kennedy, V. (2010). "The invasive dark falsemussel Mytilopsis leucophaeata (Bivalvia: Dreissenidae): a literature review". Aquatic Ecology. 45 (2): 163–183. doi:10.1007/s10452-010-9344-6. S2CID   23852995.
  6. Occurrence of this species in Chesapeake Bay and their role in filtration "Oyster Reefs". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Chesapeake Bay Office.
  7. De Souza, J.R.B.; Rocha, C.M.C. (2005). "Occurrence of exotic bivalve Mytilopsis leucophaeta (Conrad) (Mollusca, Bivalvia), in Brazil". Revista Brasileira de Zoologia (in Portuguese). 22 (4): 1204–6. doi: 10.1590/S0101-81752005000400057 . ISSN   0101-8175.
  8. 1 2 Heiler, K. C. M.; Nahavandi, N.; Albrecht, C. (2010). "A new invasion into an ancient lake — The invasion history of the dreissenid mussel Mytilopsis leucophaeata (Conrad, 1831) and its first record in the Caspian Sea". Malacologia. 53: 185–192. doi:10.4002/040.053.0112. S2CID   86519286.
  9. "Mytilopsis leucophaeata (mollusc)". Global Invasive Species Database. Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG).