Mytilidae
Overview
Mytilidae Rafinesque, 1815
Common Name: True mussels
Extant/Extinct
Key morphological features: Shells range in shape from subcircular, narrow to elongated and is composed of calcite, aragonite, or both.
SIZE: Up to ~100mm
Paleoecology: Most species live byssally attached to hard substrates, often forming dense aggregations although some speceis burrow into hard substrates such as coral. Mytilids can be found worldwide and inhabit a range of environments from estuaries to the deep sea.
MOBILITY: Stationary and mobile (burrow)
FEEDING MODE: Filter Feeder
HABITAT: epifaunal, semi-infaunal
Sources:
Mikkelsen, P.M., and Bieler, R. 2008. Seashells of Southern Florida: Bivalves. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. 503 pp.
Cox, L.R., et al. 1969. Systematic Descriptions, in Moore, R. C., ed., Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Part N, Mollusca 6, Volume 1. The University of Kansas and Geological Society of America. 489 pp.
