Mytilus (bivalve)


Mytilus is a cosmopolitan genus of medium to large-sized edible, mainly saltwater mussels, marine bivalve molluscs in the family Mytilidae.
, showing the byssus threads

Species

Species within the genus Mytilus include:
Mytilus mussels are widely exploited as food and used in marine-culture. For instance, in California, they have been consumed by coastal Native American people for almost 12 000 years.