General Description
Shell black-purple and covered by a shiny skin (periostracum). Thin curved lines near the edge of the shell. Interior of shell purple. Shell up to 4 cm long.
Biology
Beaked Mussels live in groups (beds), in extremely high densities. They attach themselves to rocks using a thread called a byssus or byssal thread. Beaked Mussels, like all mussels, are filter feeders. They sometimes occur with a similar looking species of mussel. Fertilisation occurs externally with males and females releasing spawn into the water column. The larval mussel can spend weeks in the plankton before settling and becoming an adult fixed in place.
Distribution
Southern Australia.
Habitat
Exposed rocky reefs and intertidal areas.
More Information
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Animal Type
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Animal SubType
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Brief Id
Purple shell, covered by shiny skin, thin lines near the shell edge.
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Colours
Purple, Black
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Habitats
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Diet
Plankton or Particles
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Endemicity
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Commercial
No
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Conservation Statuses
CITES: Not listed, FFG Threatened List: Not listed, DSE Advisory List: Not listed, IUCN Red List: Not listed
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Depths
Shore (0-1 m), Shallow (1-30 m)
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Water Column Locations
On or near seafloor
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Taxon Name
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Scientific Author
(Dunker, 1857)
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Common Name
Beaked Mussel
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Other Names
Rostrate Mussel
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Phylum
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Subphylum
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Class
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Subclass
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Order
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Family
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Genus
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Species Name
rostratus
