Higher Classification: > Kingdom Animalia > Subkingdom Eumetazoa > Phylum Mollusca > Class Bivalvia > Subclass Autobranchia > Infraclass Pteriomorphia > Order Mytilida > Superfamily Mytiloidea > Family Mytilidae > Subfamily Mytilinae > Genus Mytilus

Mytilus edulis Linnaeus, 1758

Rank: Species
Taxon Status: accepted

Relationships towards this taxon

Genus group names

*Mytilus*	Linnaeus, 1758	accepted genus name
*Mytulus*	[sic]	orthographic variant

Species group names

*Mytilus abbreviatus*	Lamarck, 1819	synonym
*Mytilus angulatus*	W. Williamson, 1834	synonym
*Mytilus minganensis*	Mighels, 1844	synonym
*Mytilus notatus*	De Kay, 1844	synonym
*Mytilus pellucidus*	Pennant, 1777	synonym
*Mytilus petasunculinus*	Locard, 1886	synonym
*Mytilus retusus*	Lamarck, 1819	synonym
*Mytilus retusus var. acrocyrta*	Locard, 1889	synonym
*Mytilus solitarius*	W. Williamson, 1834	synonym
*Mytilus spathulinus*	Locard, 1889	synonym
*Mytilus subsaxatilis*	W. Williamson, 1834	synonym
*Mytilus trigonus*	Locard, 1889	synonym
*Mytilus vulgaris*	da Costa, 1778	synonym

Children

Mytilus edulis balthicus A. Gittenberger & E. Gittenberger, 2021

Vernaculars (+) (-)

Basque: muskuilu

Catalan: musclo

Danish: blåmusling sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Dutch: blauwe mossel; eetbare mossel; gewone mossel; mossel sources: Cattrijsse, A. & M. Vincx. (2001). Biodiversity of the benthos and the avifauna of the Belgian coastal waters: summary of data collected between 1970 and 1998. Federal Office for Scientific, Technical and Cultural Affairs: Brussel, Belgium. 48 pp.;Backeljau, T. (1986). Lijst van de recente mariene mollusken van België [List of the recent marine molluscs of Belgium]. Koninklijk Belgisch Instituut voor Natuurwetenschappen: Brussels, Belgium. 106 pp.;VLIZ. (2016). Wetenschappelijke en handelsbenamingen voor visserij- en aquacultuurproducten op de Belgische markt. VLIZ Beleidsinformerende Nota's, BIN 2016_001. Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee: Oostende. 28 + Annex. pp.;Hayward, P.; Nelson-Smith, A.; Shields, C. (1999). Gids van kust en strand: flora en fauna [Coast and beach guide: flora and fauna]. Tirion: Baarn, Netherlands. ISBN 90-5210-327-5. 352, ill. pp.

English: bay mussel; blue mussel; common blue mussel; common mussel; edible blue mussel sources: Cole, T. C. H. (2017). Wörterbuch der Wirbellosen / Dictionary of Invertebrates. Latein-Deutsch-English. 2017. Springer Spektrum: Berlin. ISBN 978-3-662-52869-3. XII, 574 pp.;North-West Atlantic Ocean species (NWARMS);Leewis, R. (2002). Flora en fauna van de zee [Marine flora and fauna]. Veldgids, 16. KNNV Uitgeverij: Utrecht, The Netherlands. ISBN 90-5011-153-X. 320 pp.

French: moule comestible; moule commun; moule commune sources: Lindner, G. (1999). Schelpengids: schelpen uit de wereldzeeën, vorm, voorkomen, systematiek [The shell guide: shells from the world oceans, shape, distribution and systematics]. Tirion: Baarn, The Netherlands. ISBN 90-5210-409-3. 320 pp.;Leewis, R. (2002). Flora en fauna van de zee [Marine flora and fauna]. Veldgids, 16. KNNV Uitgeverij: Utrecht, The Netherlands. ISBN 90-5011-153-X. 320 pp.;VLIZ. (2016). Wetenschappelijke en handelsbenamingen voor visserij- en aquacultuurproducten op de Belgische markt. VLIZ Beleidsinformerende Nota's, BIN 2016_001. Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee: Oostende. 28 + Annex. pp.

German: essbare Miesmuschel; Gemeine Miesmuschel; Miesmuschel sources: Lindner, G. (1999). Schelpengids: schelpen uit de wereldzeeën, vorm, voorkomen, systematiek [The shell guide: shells from the world oceans, shape, distribution and systematics]. Tirion: Baarn, The Netherlands. ISBN 90-5210-409-3. 320 pp.;Cole, T. C. H. (2017). Wörterbuch der Wirbellosen / Dictionary of Invertebrates. Latein-Deutsch-English. 2017. Springer Spektrum: Berlin. ISBN 978-3-662-52869-3. XII, 574 pp.;Unterwasser-Welt Ostsee

Greek: Μύδι Ατλαντικού sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Norwegian Bokmål: blåskjell sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Norwegian Nynorsk: blåskjel sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Portuguese: mexilhao sources: Davidson, A. (2001). North Atlantic fish cookbook [Noord-Atlantisch viskookboek]. Scepter: Bussum, The Netherlands. ISBN 90-72653-14-9. 556 pp.

Russian: midiya; Мидия съедобная sources: Davidson, A. (2001). North Atlantic fish cookbook [Noord-Atlantisch viskookboek]. Scepter: Bussum, The Netherlands. ISBN 90-72653-14-9. 556 pp.;Volvenko, I. V.; Orlov, A. M.; Gebruk, A. V.; Katugin, O. N.; Ogorodnikova, A. A.; Vinogradov, G. M.; Maznikova, O. A. (2019). Checklist of the trawl macrofauna from the North Pacific and adjacent seas with information about fishery importance, potential product yield, and price range, supplement to: Volvenko, Igor V; Orlov, Alexei M; Gebruk, Andrey V; Katugin, Oleg N; Ogorodnikova, Alla A; Vinogradov, Georgy M; Maznikova, Olga A (in prep.): Trawl macrofauna of the Far-Eastern Seas and North Pacific: proportion of commercial species, potential product yield, and price rang. Earth System Science Data. PANGAEA - Data Publisher for Earth & Environmental Science.

Spanish, Castillian: mejillón sources: Davidson, A. (2001). North Atlantic fish cookbook [Noord-Atlantisch viskookboek]. Scepter: Bussum, The Netherlands. ISBN 90-72653-14-9. 556 pp.

Swedish: blåmussla

Literature

original description	Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. [The system of nature through the three kingdoms of nature, according to classes, orders, genera, species, with characters, differences, synonyms, places.]. Impensis Direct. Laurentii Salvii. Holmiae [Stockholm]. 1(10) [iii], 824 p.
basis of record	Gofas, S.; Le Renard, J.; Bouchet, P. (2001). Mollusca. in: Costello, M.J. et al. (eds), European Register of Marine Species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Patrimoines Naturels. 50: 180-213.
additional source	Verrill, A. H. (1947). Additions to the Mollusca of Lake Worth, Florida. The Nautilus. 61(2): 47-48.
additional source	Carriker, M. R. (1979). Ultrastructural effect of cleaning molluscan shell with sodium hypochlorite (Clorox). The Nautilus. 93(2-3): 47-50, figs. 1-8.
additional source	Keep, J. (1891). Mollusks of the San Francisco markets. The Nautilus. 4(9): 97-100.
additional source	Martens, E. von. (1886). Beiträge zur Kenntniss der giftigen Miesmuscheln. Der Naturforscher, Tübingen. 19(30): 307-308.
additional source	MacIntyre, R. J. (1975). Current research into the biology of farming mussels in Australia. Malacological Review. 9: 138.
additional source	Lubet P. (1959). Recherches sur le cycle sexuel et l'émission des gamètes chez les Mytilidés et les Pectinidés. Revue des Travaux de l'Institut des Pêches Maritimes. 23(3): 384-548.
additional source	Martens, E. von. (1886). Votum. In: R. Virchow (ed.). Beiträge zue Kenntniss der giftigen Miesmuscheln. Archiv für pathologische Anatomie und physologie und klinische medizin. 104: 174-180, Berlin.
additional source	Huber, M. (2010). Compendium of bivalves. A full-color guide to 3,300 of the world's marine bivalves. A status on Bivalvia after 250 years of research. Hackenheim: ConchBooks. 901 pp., 1 CD-ROM.
additional source	Abbott, R. T. (1974). American seashells. The marine Mollusca of the Atlantic and Pacific coast of North America. ed. 2. Van Nostrand, New York. 663 pp., 24 pls. [October 1974].

Genbank

External Links

Marine Life Information Network - UK

Citation

MolluscaBase eds. (2025). MolluscaBase. Mytilus edulis Linnaeus, 1758. Via: Costello, M.J.; Bouchet, P.; Boxshall, G.; Arvantidis, C.; Appeltans, W. (2011) European Register of Marine Species, Accessed through PESI at http://www.eu-nomen.eu/portal/taxon.php?GUID=urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:140480