''Modiolus barbatus'', the bearded horse mussel, is a
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of "horse
mussel
Mussel () is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and Freshwater bivalve, freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other ...
bivalve
Bivalvia () or bivalves, in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class (biology), class of aquatic animal, aquatic molluscs (marine and freshwater) that have laterally compressed soft bodies enclosed b ...
mollusc
Mollusca is a phylum of protostome, protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant taxon, extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum ...
in the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Mytilidae
The Mytilidae are a family (biology), family of small to large Marine life, marine and Brackish water, brackish-water bivalve molluscs in the order (biology), order Mytilida. One of the genera, ''Limnoperna fortunei, Limnoperna'', even inhabits f ...
, the mussels.
The fossil record of this species dates back to the
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58Fossilworks /ref>
Description
The shell of an adult ''Modiolus barbatus'' can be as long as .A. Lok, S. Acarli, S. Serdar, A. Kose and P. Goulletque GROWTH AND SURVIVAL RATES OF BEARDED HORSE MUSSEL (MODIOLUS BARBATUS LINNE, 1758) IN MERSIN BAY (TURKEY) /ref> The shape is elongated and ovoid or rhomboidal with a curved or obtuse dorsal margin. The outer surface of the shell is dark brown, while the inside of the valves is blue or slightly iridescent gray. These mussles are characterized by a ''
periostracum
The periostracum ( ) is a thin, organic coating (or "skin") that is the outermost layer of the shell of many shelled animals, including molluscs and brachiopods. Among molluscs, it is primarily seen in snails and clams, i.e. in gastropods an ...
'' with long, stiff, flat bristles. They are attached with strong ''
byssus
A byssus () is a bundle of filaments secreted by many species of bivalve mollusc that function to attach the mollusc to a solid surface. Species from several families of clams have a byssus, including pen shells ( Pinnidae), true mussels (Mytili ...
This species is present from the Mediterranean Sea to the Black Sea, on the southern and western coasts of Great Britain and Ireland and along the Atlantic coast of Morocco. It inhabits in large communities on rocks and stones the coastal marine environments at depths of 5 to 110 m.
Human use
The ''bearded horse mussels'' are harvested for human consumption from their natural beds, together with ''
Mytilus galloprovincialis
The Mediterranean mussel (''Mytilus galloprovincialis'') is a species of bivalve, a marine mollusc in the family Mytilidae. It is an invasive species in many parts of the world, and also an object of aquaculture.
Systematics
''Mytilus gallopro ...