Diagnostic Description
provided by FAO species catalogs
Equal to Mytilus edulis but separated by the following characters: a) the umbones turning downwards tending to make the basal line of the shell concave; b) the valves are higher and less angular on the upper margin and tend to grow larger; c) the mantle edge darker, becoming blue or purple.
- Alegre, M., J. Lleonart & J. Veny- 1992Espècies Pesqueres d'interès comercial. Nomenclatura oficial catalana. Generalitat de Catalunya. Departament de Cultura, DARP, TERMCAT. 64 pp.
- Verlag Christa Hemmen, darmstadt, Germany,221 pp. vo. II: Tebble, N. - 1966 British Bivalve Seashells. A Handbook for Identification, London Trusties of the British Nuseum (Natural History): 212 pp.
Distribution
provided by FAO species catalogs
Mediterranean Sea.
Size
provided by FAO species catalogs
Maximum 15 cm; common 5-8 cm.
Brief Summary
provided by FAO species catalogs
The exact range of M. galloprovincialis is not known because of the confusion with other, very similar Mytilus . In Europe it lives on all coasts that have hard substrates.Intertidal to 40 m deepattached by byssus threads to rocks and piers, within sheltered harbours and estuaries and on rocky shores of the open coast, sometimes living in dense masses wherever there are suitable surfaces for attachment.The diet of mussels consists of phytoplankton and detritus filtered from the surrounding water.The dimensions of the species is greatly influenced by its biotope: intertidal shells often remain small, rarely exceding 6 cm, while deep-water shells easily measure 9 cm.
Benefits
provided by FAO species catalogs
Natural and cultivated. The exploitation of these beds which was manual until recently developed in a giant industry in the fifties. The total catch reported for this species to FAO for 1999 was 55 819 t. The countries with the largest catches were Italy (37 876 t) and Greece (15 860 t). Marketed fresh, frozen and canned.
