Zebra mussel
hideThe zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, is a species of small freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk. This species was originally native to the lakes of southeast Russia . However, it has been accidentally introduced in many other areas, and has become a problematic invasive species in many different countries.
Although zebra mussels superficially resemble marine mussels in the family Mytilidae, and like them, are attached to solid substrates with a byssus, nonetheless, zebra mussels are not at all closely related to the mytilids; they are much more closely related to the Veneridae, the venus clams.
Zebra mussels get their name from a striped pattern which is commonly seen on their shells, though not all shells bear this pattern. They are usually about the size of a fingernail, but can grow to a maximum length of nearly two inches (5 cm). The shape of the shell is also somewhat variable.
The native distribution of the species is the Black and Caspian Sea. Zebra mussels are an invasive species in North America, the British Isles, Spain, and Sweden.
For more information about Zebra mussel, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with zebra mussels
15,000 reasons to worry about invasive species
Nov 09, 2009 |
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A day at the beach in Wisconsin's North Woods didn't used to go like this. Candy Dailey spent a Fourth of July holiday splashing with grandkids on the sandy shore of Lake Metonga when she felt a nasty sting on her foot.
NOAA announces an experimental harmful algal bloom forecast bulletin for Lake Erie
Sep 17, 2009 |
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Predicting harmful algal blooms, or HABs, in the Great Lakes is now a reality as NOAA announces an experimental HAB forecast system in Lake Erie. HABs produce toxins that may pose a significant risk to human and animal health ...
Invasive Species on the March: Variable Rates of Spread Set Current Limits to Predictability
Sep 17, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Whether for introduced muskrats in Europe or oak trees in the United Kingdom, zebra mussels in United States lakes or agricultural pests around the world, scientists have tried to find new ...
Northwest fears that invasive mussels are headed its way
Aug 26, 2009 |
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Highly invasive mussels are lurking on the Northwest's doorstep, threatening to gum up the dams that produce the region's cheap electricity, clog drinking water and irrigation systems, jeopardize aquatic ecosystems and upset ...
Annual Tahoe Report Says Asian Clam Invasion Is Growing Fast
Aug 18, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Released today, UC Davis' annual Lake Tahoe health report describes a spreading Asian clam population that could put sharp shells and rotting algae on the spectacular mountain lake's popular ...
HOT ISSUE: Should we deliberately move species?
Jul 20, 2009 |
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(AP) -- On naked patches of land in western Canada and United States, scientists are planting trees that don't belong there. It's a bold experiment to move trees threatened by global warming into places where ...
Invasive mussels imperil western water system
Jul 18, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Two years after an invasive mussel was first discovered at Lake Mead, the population has firmly established itself and gone on a breeding binge, with numbers soaring into the trillions.
Researchers study 'fundamental, amazing change' in Great Lakes (w/ Video)
Jul 16, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The Great Lakes are in the midst of a remarkable ecological transformation, driven largely by the blitzkrieg advance of two closely related species of non-native mussels.
From pythons to fungus, species invading US
Jul 08, 2009 |
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(AP) -- A pet Burmese python broke out of a glass cage last week and killed a 2-year-old girl in her Florida bedroom. The tragedy became the latest and most graphic example of a problem that has plagued the ...
Zebra mussels hang on while quagga mussels take over
Jun 12, 2009 |
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The zebra mussels that have wreaked ecological havoc on the Great Lakes are harder to find these days — not because they are dying off, but because they are being replaced by a cousin, the quagga mussel. But zebra mussels ...
Alien lionfish swarm N.C. coast
Apr 23, 2009 |
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A handful of ravenous, venomous lionfish, a species native to the western Pacific, were spotted off North Carolina in 2000. Turns out they like it here. A lot.
Quagga mussels threaten western U.S. waters, researcher reports
Jul 01, 2008 |
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Pipe-clogging invasive mussels caused up to $1.5 billion in damage across 23 states between 1989 and 2007. Now, fingernail-sized quagga mussels, a close relative of zebra mussels, have spread to the West and ...
