Mytella bicolor   (Bruguière, 1792)

Guyana swamp mussel

Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.
Mytella bicolor  AquaMaps  Data sources: GBIF OBIS
Upload your photos 
 | All pictures | Google image |
Image of Mytella bicolor (Guyana swamp mussel)
Mytella bicolor

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | CoL | ITIS | WoRMS

Bivalvia | Mytilida | Mytilidae

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Benthic.  Tropical; 30°N - 29°S, 114°W - 34°W

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Eastern Central Pacific and Western Atlantic: Mexico and Southern Caribbean to southeast Brazil.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?, range 2 - 4.296 cm Max length : 7.0 cm SHL male/unsexed; (Ref. 83435); common length : 9.0 cm SHL male/unsexed; (Ref. 344)

Short description Morphology

Shell mussel-shaped, elongate, ventral region concave. Oblique ridge runs anterodorsal to posteroventral region of valve. Umbones subterminal. Posterior part of the mantle with branching tentacles. Colour: externally greenish on posterodorsal region (above ridge) and yellowish brown on anteroventral region (below ridge).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Intertidal in bays and protected areas, forming clumps attached to mangrove prop roots or other hard substrates (Ref. 344) via its byssus (Ref. 104222). Attached to mangrove roots, particularly on Rhizophorae mangle (Ref. 104222). Some found to be buried in substrate. Also occurs in a river estuary. Highly tolerant to salinity variations (Ref. 104223). Parasitic on this mussel are Rickettsia-like organisms, Apicomplexa and Platyhelminthes (Ref. 104222). In general, suspension feeding bivalves mainly depend on phytoplankton and detritus material for nutrition (Ref. 107088).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Life cycle: Embryos develop into free-swimming trocophore larvae, succeeded by the bivalve veliger, resembling a miniature clam (Ref. 833).

Main reference References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Leal, J.H. 2003. (Ref. 344)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Not Evaluated 

CITES status (Ref. 108899)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: commercial
| FishSource |

Tools

E-book | Field guide

Internet sources

BHL | BOLD Systems | CISTI | DiscoverLife | FAO(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): 24.9 - 28.7, mean 27.3 (based on 614 cells).
Price category (Ref. 80766): Medium.