M. galloprovincialis reproduces via spawning, which is triggered by water temperature and food availability. Their spawning cycle is not universal and varies throughout the species' distribution as different environmental conditions and triggers may be found at each location.
Studies in Spanish bays have generally observed one mass spawning event with two peaks per year, occurring in spring to early summer. However, smaller spawning events can also occur in the same year.
M. galloprovincialis utilizes environmental prey refuges to avoid predation. In New Zealand, this refuge can take the form of salinity stratification of fjords. The mussels concentrate in low salinity levels which their predators cannot inhabit. Juvenile mussels are most affected by predation, with smaller predators (such as the sea star, Patiriella regularis, and the small wrasse, Notolabrus celidotus) targeting this life stage. Therefore, the juveniles in low salinity zones which exclude these predators are most likely to survive to adulthood.
However, the low salinity can also be harmful for the mussels. Below about 9 PSU, M. galloprovincialis exhibits physiological stress and increased mortality rates, especially in younger mussels.
The Mediterranean mussel is susceptible to heat waves and other forms of high ocean temperatures. Populations of M. galloprovincialis exhibit a 50% mortality rate at 27.5°C-29°C. At high temperatures the mussels have reduced filtration rates and a reduced ability to feed. This is especially of concern for aquaculture.
The Mediterranean Mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) is native to the Mediterranean, Black, and Adriatic Seas, but has spread (mostly via ballast water and ship hull fouling) to many other regions worldwide. These mussels usually occur in the low intertidal zone of exposed rocky coasts with relatively high wave energy, although in their native range they are also found growing in dense patches on the sandy-muddy bottoms of brackish lagoons (Ceccherelli and Rossi 1984). Although this species is cultivated as food for humans in some parts of Asia, in most of its non-native range it has become a nuisance species, displacing natives, and the IUCN/SSC* Invasive Species Specialist Group has nominated Mytilus galloprovincialis as among the 100 "World's Worst" invaders.
*International Union for Conservation of Nature, Species Survival Commission
Native range (alphabetical by country): Algeria, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Egypt, Europe, France, Greece, Italy, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Macedonia, Morocco, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine
"Alien" range (alphabetical by country/region): Africa, Australia, Canada, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, Mediterranean, Mexico, Namibia, Netherlands, Republic of Korea, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States (including Hawaii)
Marine and estuarine.
“In its native range, M. galloprovincialis can be found from exposed rocky outer coasts to sandy bottoms (Ceccherelli and Rossi 1984). As an invader it typically requires rocky coastlines with a high rate of water flow...(Carlton 1992)."
Because the shells of Mytilus species are similar and can vary depending on their environment, it’s difficult or impossible to visually distinguish M. galloprovincialis from Mytilus edulis and Mytilus trossulus. Furthermore, M. galloprovincialis and M. trossulus can hybridize (Suchanek et al. 1997). Genetic analyses are necessary to make a positive identification.
“Mytilus galloprovincialis is dark blue or brown to almost black. The two shells are equal and nearly quadrangular. The outside is black-violet coloured; on one side the rim of the shell ends with a pointed and slightly bent umbo while the other side is rounded, although shell shape varies by region. It also tends to grow larger than its cousins, up to 15cm, although typically only 5-8cm.” (IUCN/SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG))
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.[1]
Mytilus galloprovincialis is one of the three principal, closely related species in the Mytilus edulis complex of blue mussels, which collectively are widely distributed on the temperate to subarctic 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 Mytilus edulis 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:
Right valve
Left valve
In Europe, Mytilus galloprovincialis is found in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea, and on the Atlantic coasts, in Portugal, north to France and the British Isles and Norway. Recently this species has also been found in the European Arctic including northern Norway and Svalbard.[2]
In the northern Pacific the species is found along the coast of California, where it was introduced from Europe by human activity in the early 20th century, and also in the Puget Sound region of Washington state, where it has been subject to aquaculture.[3] It is also present as an invasive species on the Asian coast throughout Japan, including Ryukyu Islands, as well as in North Korea[4] and around Vladivostok 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, 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 Namibian border to Port Alfred, intertidally to just below the low tide border.[5] M. galloprovincialis is also found in New Zealand, Australia and South America.
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[1] or black, but may shade to light brown.[6]
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 bioindicators 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.[7] In the Adriatic Sea, Chamelea gallina and Mytilus galloprovincialis share similar variations of the cytotoxic activity during the year. The exertions by the hemolymph of the species are considered a useful biomarker of the immune activity and therefore of the health of mussels.[7]
The immune systems of the clam Chamelea gallina and the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis are influenced by changing environmental parameters such as water acidification, temperature increases and variations in seawater salinity. Those properties describe a typical scenario of the global climate change and bivalve molluscs are considered predictors of its future impact on the health status of both wild and farmed organisms.[8]
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.
