Mytilus edulis   Linnaeus, 1758

Blue mussel

Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.
Mytilus edulis  AquaMaps  Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Mytilus edulis

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | CoL | ITIS | WoRMS

Bivalvia | Mytilida | Mytilidae

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Benthic; brackish; depth range 0 - 60 m (Ref. 7726).  Temperate, preferred 9°C (Ref. 107945); 89°N - 58°S, 112°E - 61°E

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Circumpolar.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm Max length : 11.0 cm SHL male/unsexed; (Ref. 95344); max. reported age: 24 years (Ref. 8702)

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Minimum depth (intertidal zone) from Ref. 95344. Inhabits intertidal areas (Ref. 2789). Found in quiet, sheltered areas forming dense aggregates on hard surfaces; attached by strong byssal threads (Ref. 95344). In the Vainameri, north-eastern Baltic Sea, most abundant in silty substrate (Ref. 95753). It is infaunal on sand and eelgrass beds and epifaunal on eelgrass beds (Ref. 95819). Also found on mixed sediments with gravel (Ref. 118257). Semi-mobile suspension feeder (Refs. 95752, 96470). Feeds on phytoplankton such as green algae, dinoflagellates and diatoms (Ref. 95805).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Members of the class Bivalvia are mostly gonochoric, some are protandric hermaphrodites. Life cycle: Embryos develop into free-swimming trocophore larvae, succeeded by the bivalve veliger, resembling a miniature clam.

Main reference References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Harvey-Clark, C. 1997. (Ref. 7726)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Not Evaluated 

CITES status (Ref. 108899)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Human uses

Fisheries: commercial
FAO - Aquaculture: production, species profile; Fisheries: landings, species profile | FishSource | Sea Around Us

Tools

E-book | Field guide

Internet sources

BHL | BOLD Systems | CISTI | DiscoverLife | FAO(Aquaculture: species profile; Fisheries: species profile; publication : search) | Fishipedia | GenBank (genome, nucleotide) | GloBI | Gomexsi | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | PubMed | Tree of Life | Wikipedia (Go, Search) | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 4.4 - 16.1, mean 10.2 (based on 1512 cells).
Resilience (Ref. 69278): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=0.05-1.14; tmax=24).
Prior r = 0.54, 95% CL = 0.36 - 0.82, Based on 1 data-limited stock assessment.
Vulnerability (Ref. 71543): Moderate vulnerability (36 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766): Low.
Nutrients: Calcium = 149 [71, 228] mg/100g; Iron = 8.53 [1.95, 15.11] mg/100g; Protein = 9.88 [8.64, 11.12] %; Omega3 = 0.313 [0.202, 0.423] g/100g; Selenium = 61 [50, 72] μg/100g; VitaminA = 0 μg/100g; Zinc = 2.04 [0.56, 3.51] mg/100g (wet weight).