Mytilus (genus) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mytilus |
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Mytilus edulis in the intertidal zone in Cornwall, England | |
Scientific classification | |
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Pteriomorphia
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Mytiloida
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Mytilus
Linnaeus, 1798
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Mytilus is a common genus of medium to large-sized marine mussels. They are bivalve molluscs of the family Mytilidae. Mussels are edible, and are used in various stews and soups. In life, they are attached to the substrate (rocks etc) by byssus threads.
Species
Species within the genus Mytilus include:
- the Mytilus edulis complex:
- Mytilus edulis Linnaeus, 1758 – blue mussel, edible blue mussel
- Mytilus edulis platensis d'Orbigny, 1846 = Mytilus chilensis (Hupé, 1854) – Chilean mussel (controversial)
- Mytilus galloprovincialis Lamarck, 1819 – Mediterranean mussel
- Mytilus trossulus Gould, 1850 – foolish mussel
- Mytilus edulis Linnaeus, 1758 – blue mussel, edible blue mussel
- Mytilus californianus Conrad, 1837 – California mussel
- Mytilus coruscus Gould, 1861
Human use
Mytilus mussels are widely used as food. In California they were eaten by coastal Native American people for almost 12,000 years.
- McDonald J.H; Seed R. and Koehn R.K. 1991. Allozymes and morphometric characters of three species of Mytilus in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Marine Biology 111: 323-333.
See also
In Spanish: Mytilus para niños
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Mytilus (genus) Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.