Blue mussel

Mytilus edulis

An edible bivalve common on northern Atlantic coasts. It has blue-black shells and forms dense beds attached by byssal threads.

Key facts

Blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) is a filter feeder animal classified as Invertebrate · Mytilida · Mytilidae.
Primary habitats are coast · open ocean, with a range across Atlantic Ocean · Arctic Ocean.
Activity is cathemeral, sociality is colony, and conservation status is LC (Least Concern).
An edible bivalve common on northern Atlantic coasts.
Lives in cool-temperate intertidal and shallow subtidal waters, attached to rocks, pilings, ropes, and other hard surfaces.

Habitat range map

Native rangeOccasional / Transient

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Lives in cool-temperate intertidal and shallow subtidal waters, attached to rocks, pilings, ropes, and other hard surfaces.

The shell is elongated and triangular, usually blue-black to dark purple outside with a pearly interior.

It anchors itself with tough byssal threads. Dense mussel beds resist wave action and create shelter for many small animals.

It filters phytoplankton and organic particles from seawater using its gills. Food supply depends on water quality and currents.

Adults release eggs and sperm into the water. Larvae drift before settling onto hard substrate and growing their shells.

Blue mussels support fisheries and aquaculture and are used in water-quality monitoring. They can accumulate algal toxins during harmful blooms.