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Mytilus californianus Conrad, 1837 California mussel |
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| Family: | Mytilidae (sea mussels) | |||
| Max. size: | 25.5 cm TL (male/unsexed) | |||
| Environment: | benthic; marine; depth range 0 - 100 m | |||
| Distribution: | Eastern Pacific: from Aleutian Islands, Alaska, USA to Baja California and Isla Socorro, Mexico. Subtropical to boreal. | |||
| Diagnosis: | Shell with blue, black and irregular groove lines. Often create dense mats. Mats can form habitats for more than 100 other species (Ref. 312). | |||
| Biology: | It has a shell length of 20 cm long (Ref. 312). Found in dense colonies on wharf piles and surf exposed rocks in the mid to high tide zone. Its diet include fine organic detritus, living plankton, especially dinoflagellates; when the water exceeds a certain temperature, often from late May through October, mussels feed on dinoflagellates that make them poisonous for humans to eat (Ref. 312). Very dominant competitor in an intertidal bed. Prefers to settle on other mussels and barnacles, giving it a competitive advantage (Ref. 104225). Predators are ochre star, dogwinkle, and humans (Ref. 312). Occurs from mid to high tide mark (Ref. 312). | |||
| IUCN Red List Status: | Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. 123251) | |||
| Threat to humans: | ||||
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