Brief Summary

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