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Mytilus - Species in
Mytilidae - - Classification -
- Mytilidae
- Mytilida
- Bivalvia
- Chordata
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Mytilus edulis Linnaeus, 1758
Blue mussel| Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050 |
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| This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed. |
| Mytilus edulis AquaMaps Data sources: GBIF OBIS |
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)
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 Eastern tidepool and reef: north-central Atlantic marinelife guide. Hancock House Publishers, 64pp. (Ref. 7726)
IUCN Red List Status
(Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
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
More information
Trophic Ecology
Ecology
Population dynamics
Growth
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Abundance
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Abundance
Life cycle
Distribution
Physiology
Oxygen consumption
Human Related
Stamps, coins, misc.
Outreach
Taxonomy
References
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.
Climate Vulnerability
(Ref. 125649):
Moderate to high vulnerability (50 of 100).
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); based on nutrient studies.