Introduced Marine Aquatic Invaders - a field guideJoin the Anti-Pest ProgramMarine pests what are theyHow pests get here What damage they do What we are doing What I can do? Northern Pacific Seastar Green CrabPacific OysterAeolid NudibranchNew Zealand Screw ShellAsian MusselBlack Striped Mussel Chinese ClamEuropean Fan WormJapanese Goby Japanese Seaweed Bryozoan

Aquatic Invaders - Introduced species are a threat to our aquatic biodiversityContacting the Department

Introduced Marine Aquatic Invaders - a field guide

Introducted Marine Species - Black Striped Mussel

Mytilopsis spp.

Black Striped Mussel - Mytilopsis spp. Photo: Clay Bryce/WA Museum

Australia Invasion

• discovered in the Northern Territory during 1999, and successfully eradicated

Habitat

• warmer tropical and subtropical waters
• typically below water level in subtidal areas, can survive in intertidal and brackish conditions
• attach to any hard surface at any orientation (including other marine species and artificial structures)

ID Features

• up to 3 cm in length
• shell smooth and delicate and crushes easily
• external shell dull grey in colour, may have darker longitudinal and/or zigzag stripes
• interior shell glazed, smooth and pale (not pearly like most other mussels)
• one shell valve slightly larger and overlaps the other
• interior of each shell has a tiny internal shelf across the pointed end and a smaller shelf below

More information

More detailed information on this Marine Invader is available here.

...More Information on this Invader

Similar Native Marine Species

Mytilus spp. Photo: Sue Morrison

Mytilus spp.

• prefers oceanic salinity, but can survive lower salinities
• much larger in length, adults to 12 cm*
• blue, black or brown in colour
• widely triangular in shape (from side)
• attaches by byssal threads to hard substrate
  

Xenostrobus spp. Photo: Wells and Bryce/ Seashells of WA

Xenostrobus spp.

• one species estuarine salinity, others oceanic salinity
• black or brown in colour
• deformed bent triangular shape*
• attach by byssal threads to hard substrates and Asian Mussel mats
  

Brachidontes spp. Photo: Wells and Bryce/ Seashells of WA

Brachidontes spp.

• oceanic salinity
• ribbed, hard shell*
• dark in colour, either black, brown or blue, with paler area near narrow end
• long triangular to oval shape
• attaches to hard substrates by byssal threads
  

Modiolus spp. Photo: Wells and Bryce/ Seashells of WA

Modiolus spp.

• oceanic salinity
• smooth, thin shell
• larger in length, adults to 10 cm*
• brown in colour and hairy towards wide end*
• long triangle to oblique oval shape with narrow end rounded
• attaches to hard substrates by byssal threads
  

Septifer spp. Photo: Wells and Bryce/ Seashells of WA

Septifer spp.

• oceanic reefs
• ribbed shell with tiny internal shelf across pointed end of shell valves*
• exterior shell colour variable, may be red, blue, brown or green
• interior shell is iridescent blue

* distinguishing feature

< Previous

Top

Next >