| Bay mussel | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Subclass: | Heterodonta |
| Order: | Mytiloida |
| Family: | Mytilidae |
| Subfamily: | Mytilinae |
| Genus: | Mytilus |
| Species: | M. trossulus |
| Binomial name | |
| Mytilus trossulus Gould, 1850 |
|
Mytilus trossulus, the bay mussel or foolish mussel, is a medium-sized edible marine bivalve mollusc in the family Mytilidae.
The mussels found along the coasts of Oregon and Alaska are closely related to the mussels found in the Baltic Sea and in Canada. [1]
The species is the subject of long-term environmental monitoring in Prince William Sound, Alaska, to examine hydrocarbon signatures in order to develop a better understanding of the ecosystem's ongoing recovery from the Exxon Valdez oil spill which occurred there.[2]