Mediterranean mussel total production thousand tonnes 1950-2022

The Mediterranean mussel (''Mytilus galloprovincialis'') 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), ...

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 ...

, a marine

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 ...

. It is an

invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...

in many parts of the world, and also an object of

aquaculture Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. Nelu ...

Systematics

''Mytilus galloprovincialis'' is one of the three principal, closely related species in the ''

Mytilus edulis The blue mussel (''Mytilus edulis''), also known as the common mussel, is a medium-sized edible marine (ocean), marine bivalve mollusc in the family (biology), family Mytilidae, the only extant family in the order (biology), order Mytilida, known ...

complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

of blue mussels, which collectively are widely distributed on the temperate to

subarctic The subarctic zone is a region in the Northern Hemisphere immediately south of the true Arctic, north of hemiboreal regions and covering much of Alaska, Canada, Iceland, the north of Fennoscandia, Northwestern Russia, Siberia, and the Cair ...

coasts of both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and often are dominant inhabitants on hard substrates of the intertidal and nearshore habitats. ''M. galloprovincialis'' will often hybridize with its sister taxa, the closely related ''

'' and '' Mytilus trossulus'', when they are found in the same locality. ''M. galloprovincialis'' is considered the most warm-water-tolerant species of the three, and has the most southerly distribution in Europe and North America.

Right and left valve of the same specimen: File:Mytilus galloprovincialis 0001.jpg, Right valve File:Mytilus galloprovincialis 0002.jpg, Left valve

''Mytilus galloprovincialis dilatatus'' File:Mytilus galloprovincialis dilatatus 01.jpg, Right valve

''Mytilus galloprovincialis trigonus'' File:Mytilus galloprovincialis trigonus 01.jpg, Right valve File:Mytilus galloprovincialis trigonus 02.jpg, Left valve

Distribution

In Europe, ''Mytilus galloprovincialis'' is found in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

and the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

, and on the Atlantic coasts, in Portugal, north to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and the

British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...

and Norway. Recently this species has also been found in the European Arctic including northern Norway and Svalbard. In the northern

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

the species is found along the coast of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, where it was introduced from Europe by human activity in the early 20th century, and also in the

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ; ) is a complex estuary, estuarine system of interconnected Marine habitat, marine waterways and basins located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As a part of the Salish Sea, the sound ...

region of

Washington state Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

, where it has been subject to aquaculture. It is also present as an invasive species on the Asian coast throughout

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, including

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Geography of Taiwan, Taiwan: the Ryukyu Islands are divided into the Satsunan Islands (Ōsumi Islands, Ōsumi, Tokara Islands, Tokara and A ...

, as well as in

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

and around

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( ; , ) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai and the capital of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia. It is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, covering an area o ...

in Russia. ''Mytilus galloprovincialis'' is also present as a native lineage in parts of the Southern Hemisphere. In addition there are populations introduced from the north recently with human activity. These lineages are distinguished by genetic characters. No original ''Mytilus'' populations lived in

southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost region of Africa. No definition is agreed upon, but some groupings include the United Nations geoscheme for Africa, United Nations geoscheme, the intergovernmental Southern African Development Community, and ...

, but the Mediterranean mussel was introduced from Europe in 1984 and is now the dominant low intertidal mussel on the West Coast. The distribution spans an area from the

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

n border to Port Alfred, intertidally to just below the low tide border. ''M. galloprovincialis'' is also found in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and South America.

Description

This animal grows up to 140 mm in length. It is a smooth-shelled mussel with a slightly broader base than that of the black mussel ('' Choromytilus meridionalis''), with which it is often confused in South Africa. Its shell is blue-violet''Mytilus galloprovincialis'' (mollusc)
Global Invasive Species Database. issg.org or black, but may shade to light brown.

Ecology

The Mediterranean mussel is a filter feeder. It is rare subtidally, which is an alternate means of distinguishing it from the black mussel in South Africa. Mussels are generally considered as a

bioindicator A bioindicator is any species (an indicator species) or group of species whose function, population, or status can reveal the qualitative status of the environment. The most common indicator species are animals. For example, copepods and other sma ...

s of the whole ecosystem in which they live. The immune system of bivalve molluscs is often chosen as a target parameter to evaluate the welfare of the species and of their surrounding environment. In the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

, ''

Chamelea gallina ''Chamelea gallina'' is a species of small saltwater clam, a marine Bivalvia, bivalve in the Family (biology), family Veneridae, the venus clams. Taxonomy Carl Linnaeus originally described ''Venus gallina'' from the Mediterranean Sea in 1758. ...

'' and ''Mytilus galloprovincialis'' share similar variations of the cytotoxic activity during the year. The exertions by the

hemolymph Hemolymph, or haemolymph, is a fluid, similar to the blood in invertebrates, that circulates in the inside of the arthropod's body, remaining in direct contact with the animal's tissues. It is composed of a fluid plasma in which hemolymph c ...

of the species are considered a useful biomarker of the immune activity and therefore of the health of mussels. (at p. 50 and in the abstract). The immune systems of the clam ''

'' and the mussel '' Mytilus galloprovincialis'' are influenced by changing environmental parameters such as water acidification, temperature increases and variations in seawater

salinity Salinity () is the saltiness or amount of salt (chemistry), salt dissolved in a body of water, called saline water (see also soil salinity). It is usually measured in g/L or g/kg (grams of salt per liter/kilogram of water; the latter is dimensio ...

. Those properties describe a typical scenario of the global climate change and bivalve mollusks are considered predictors of its future impact on the health status of both wild and farmed organisms. Multiple stressors, including hyposalinity and heat shock, may significantly affect the

metabolic rate Metabolism (, from ''metabolē'', "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run cellular processes; the co ...

antioxidant Antioxidants are Chemical compound, compounds that inhibit Redox, oxidation, a chemical reaction that can produce Radical (chemistry), free radicals. Autoxidation leads to degradation of organic compounds, including living matter. Antioxidants ...

enzyme activity, and feeding rate of ''Mytilus galloprovincialis'', suggesting that these mussels may become energy-limited under combined environmental stress.

Mariculture

Novigrad Mussel

Novigrad Mussel is ''M. galloprovincialis'' cultivated in farms in the Novigrad Sea and Novsko Ždrilo in

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

and product of the

Croatian cuisine Croatian cuisine () is heterogeneous and is known as a cuisine of the regions, since every region of Croatia has its own distinct culinary tradition. Its roots date back to Classical Antiquity, ancient times. The differences in the selection of f ...

with European protected designation of origin, conferred by the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

. Although the

oligotrophic An oligotroph is an organism that can live in an environment that offers very low levels of nutrients. They may be contrasted with copiotrophs, which prefer nutritionally rich environments. Oligotrophs are characterized by slow growth, low rates o ...

, the estuarine location of Novigrad makes it suitable for

. The

shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...

of the Novigrad Mussel has a fan-shaped, triangular, or elongated-oval shape. The body is enclosed by two equal shells, externally black-blueish in color, and internally pale pearly. The length of the longest part of a consumable-sized shellfish is at least 6 cm, while the minimum weight of a shellfish is 20 g. It is particularly known for its high condition index, which is at least 12%. Fresh

meat Meat is animal Tissue (biology), tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of vertebrates, including chickens, sheep, ...

is smooth to the touch, with a soft and

elastic Elastic is a word often used to describe or identify certain types of elastomer, Elastic (notion), elastic used in garments or stretch fabric, stretchable fabrics. Elastic may also refer to: Alternative name * Rubber band, ring-shaped band of rub ...

consistency In deductive logic, a consistent theory is one that does not lead to a logical contradiction. A theory T is consistent if there is no formula \varphi such that both \varphi and its negation \lnot\varphi are elements of the set of consequences ...

, carrying a characteristic scent of the marine algae. The surface of the meat is shiny, moist, and smooth.

References

External links

.issg.org/database/species/references.asp?si=102&fr=1&sts=&lang=EN ''Mytilus galloprovincialis''
Selection of references. www.issg.org
''Mytilus galloprovincialis'' (Lamarck, 1819)
FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture, Cultured Aquatic Species Information Programme
Picture of a British specimen
habitas.org {{Taxonbar, from=Q943341 Mytilus (bivalve) Molluscs of the Atlantic Ocean Marine molluscs of Africa Marine molluscs of Europe Molluscs of the Mediterranean Sea Molluscs of the Black Sea Commercial molluscs Fauna of Turkey Bivalves described in 1819 Taxa named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck