Mytilus (genus)

Mytilus
Temporal range: Jurassic–Present
Mytilus edulis in the intertidal zone in Cornwall, England
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Subclass: Pteriomorphia
Order: Mytiloida
Family: Mytilidae
Genus: Mytilus
Linnaeus, 1758
Type species
Mytilus edulis
Linnaeus, 1758
Species

See text.

Mytilus edulis shells washed up on the beach

Mytilus is a cosmopolitan genus of medium to large-sized edible, mainly saltwater mussels, marine bivalve molluscs in the family Mytilidae.[1]

Mytilus mussel in California, showing the byssus threads

Species

Species within the genus Mytilus include:

Human use

Mytilus mussels are widely exploited as food and used in mariculture. For instance, in California, they have been consumed by coastal Native American people for almost 12 000 years. [2]

References

Wikispecies has information related to: Mytilus
  1. A.W.B. Powell, New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1
  2. Erlandson, Jon M., T.C. Rick, T.J. Braje, A. Steinberg, & R.L.Vellanoweth. 2008. Human Impacts on Ancient Shellfish: A 10,000 Year Record from San Miguel Island, California. Journal of Archaeological Science 35:2144-2152.


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