Mytiloida
| Mytiloida | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Three shells of Perna viridis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Subclass: | Pteriomorphia |
| Order: | Mytiloida |
| Superfamilies | |
Mytiloida is an order of marine bivalve mollusks, commonly known as mussels. There is one extant superfamily, the Mytiloidea, with a single family, the Mytilidae.
Species in the order Mytiloida are found worldwide, but they are more abundant in colder seas, where they often form uninterrupted beds on rocky shores in the intertidal zone and the shallow subtidal. The subfamily Bathymodiolinae is found in deep-sea habitats.
Mytilids include the well-known edible sea mussels.
A common feature of the shells of mussels is an asymmetrical shell which has a thick, adherent periostracum. The animals attach themselves to a solid substrate using a byssus.
In 2010, a new proposed classification system for the Bivalvia was published by Bieler, Carter & Coan. This included the suborder Mytiloida.
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