Amygdalum arborescens

Description

Family Mytilidae

Scars of the anterior and posterior adductor muscles decidedly unequal (the anterior scar is the smaller one, and may be scarcely noticeable); umbones generally, but not always, much nearer the anterior end than the middle , hinge plate without teeth and without a chondrophore ; usually attached to a hard substratum by a byssus of organic threads (includes some species that bore into rock or hard clay ).Mussels are members of the molluscan Class Bivalvia along with clams and scallops . Attaching to the substrate and each other with byssal threads , mussels often form dense beds that support rich epifaunal and infaunal invertebrate assemblages . Other groups commonly associating with mussels are porifera (sponges), cnidarians (including hydroids , corals , and anemones), annelids , crustaceans, bivalves , bryozoans , and echinoderms . Mussel larvae remain in the water column for several weeks. Mussels are suspension feeders , filtering plankton and other small particles from the water column. Mussels are preyed upon by sea stars, gastropods and crabs.

Habitat

Typically found in water with a depth of 0 to -48 meters (0 to -157 feet).Mean = -30.710 meters (-100.755 feet), Standard Deviation = 30.160 based on 7 observations. Ocean depth information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre.

Taxonomy

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Domain: Eukaryota () - Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- Kingdom: Animalia () - Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
  - Subkingdom: Bilateria () - (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
    - Branch: Protostomia () - Grobben, 1908
      - Infrakingdom: Lophotrochozoa ()
        Superphylum: Eutrochozoa ()
        Phylum: Mollusca () - (Linnaeus, 1758) Cuvier, 1795 - Molluscs
        Class: Bivalvia () - Linnaeus, 1758 - Bivalves
        Subclass: Metabranchia ()
        Superorder: Filibranchia ()
        Order: Pteriomorpha ()
        Superfamily: Mytiloidea ()
        Family: Mytilidae () - Rafinesque, 1815 - Marine Mussels
        Genus: Amygdalum ()
        Specific name: arborescens
        Scientific name: - Amygdalum arborescens