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Mytilus (genus) facts for kids

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Mytilus
Temporal range: Jurassic–Recent
CornishMussels.JPG
Mytilus edulis in the intertidal zone in Cornwall, England
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Subclass:
Pteriomorphia
Order:
Mytiloida
Family:
Genus:
Mytilus

Linnaeus, 1798
Mytilus with byssus
Mytilus mussel in California, showing the byssus threads

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:

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.
Miesmuscheln Mytilus 1
Mytilus edulis shells on the beach

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Mytilus para niños

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