#4764 · 🐌 snails, slugs & other molluscs
Mediterranean Mussel
🇳🇱 Middellandse Zeemossel ·Mytilus galloprovincialis
🐌 Snails, slugs & other molluscs 📍 in Europe, not in NL
📍 Cape Point, Western Cape, ZA
📍 대한민국 충청남도 태안군 안면읍
📍 Sigean, France
📍 Ievpatoriis'ka, UA-KR, UA
📍 Overberg, Western Cape, South Africa
📍 Feodosiis'ka, Crimea, Ukraine
10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
- 1. © Luís Lourenço · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
- 2. © jmmoreira · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 3. © sea-kangaroo · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
- 4. © Juan Valentín · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 5. Cape Point, Western Cape, ZA:© hugoyann · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 6. 대한민국 충청남도 태안군 안면읍:© Kim, Hyun-tae · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
- 7. Sigean, France:© Frédéric ANDRE · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 8. Ievpatoriis'ka, UA-KR, UA:© Roman A. Lagazyuk (Роман А. Лагазюк) · CC BY 4.0
- 9. Overberg, Western Cape, South Africa:© janmomsen · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 10. Feodosiis'ka, Crimea, Ukraine:© Сергей · CC BY-NC 4.0
what is it?
The Mediterranean mussel ( Mytilus galloprovincialis ) is a species of bivalve, a marine mollusc in the family Mytilidae. It is an invasive species in many parts of the world, and also an object of aquaculture.
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- No confirmed wild sightings in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: you'd have to travel for this one.
- 6,794 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
- Scientifically named by Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck in 1819 (207 years ago).
fact sheet
- English
- Mediterranean Mussel
- Nederlands
- Middellandse Zeemossel
- scientific name
- Mytilus galloprovincialis
- class
- Bivalvia
- order
- Mytilida
- family
- Mytilidae
- sightings in NL
- 0
- sightings in Europe
- 2,186
- sightings worldwide
- 6,794
- GBIF records in NL
- 103
- weight
- —
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
- named
- 1819 by Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck
relatives· Mytilidae
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 81648, Wikidata Q943341, GBIF 2285683, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.