Mytella strigata is a bivalve, commonly known as the charru mussel or charrua mussel.[2] This species was described by Sylvanus Charles Thorp Hanley based on a specimen from the Philippines.[1] It was found in Central and South America and by Alcide d'Orbigny, a French naturalist, in 1842, where it was assigned the synonym Mytilus charruanus.[3][4] They are less than an inch long (2.5 cm), and range from brown to black in color.[5][6]
| Mytella strigata | |
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| Mytella strigata | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Mytilida |
| Family: | Mytilidae |
| Genus: | Mytella |
| Species: | M. strigata
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| Binomial name | |
| Mytella strigata (Hanley, 1843)
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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Synonymy
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Habitat
editThe charru mussel is native to Panama, Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela, but is invasive to Southeastern U.S., the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and India. Specifically, the indigenous range of the mytilid Mytella strigata extends along the Eastern coast of South America from Venezuela to Argentina and in the Pacific from Sonora, Mexico to El Salvador. It is also said that they are native to the Galapagos Islands, the Pacific coast from Mexico to Ecuador and, again, the Atlantic coast from Argentina to Venezuela.[7][8]
Climate tolerance
editMytella strigata can survive best in temperatures from 20°C - 23°C with a survival rate of 83-88%, but have been found in temperatures between 13°C-36°C. Higher temperatures around 28°C - 36°C have about a 0-24% survival rate. Any temperature at or higher than 36°C has a survival rate of 0%. There is low 38% survival rate in cold temperatures at 13°C.[9]
Salinity tolerance
editMytella strigata can survive at salinities as low as 2 ppt (parts per thousand) and as high as 22.5 ppt. They can also survive large fluctuations in salinity for long and short periods of time.[9]
Morphology
editMytella strigata contain byssal threads, these rope-like structures are made from collagen and act like tethers. Byssal threads can reach approximately 160% of a mussels length. These threads help mussels adhere to solid surfaces.[10] Like other bivalves, M. strigata has a protective shell made from calcium. Two interior adductor muscles are used to open and close the shell.[11]
Life cycle
editMytella strigata has a spawning period between July and October. Embryos develop into free-swimming larvae, then mature into a bivalve veliger that resembles a small clam. The veliger matures, and under certain conditions may experience sexual reversal. Insemination and fertilization has not been observed in M. strigata.[12]
Ecology
editMytella strigata is an epifaunal tropical and subtropical mussel colonizing rocky substrates in estuaries primarily along the Atlantic and Caribbean coasts of South America.[9]
Feeding
editMytella strigata feed on phytoplankton and deleterious materials which are macronutrients.[13]
As an invasive species
editHistory
editSince the charru mussel is Native in warmer climates, such as Central and South America, the species has invaded other close by warm waters. M. strigata populations moved to southeastern United States, specifically Florida and Georgia and has since been found at these areas. The population density is much lower than that of their native habitats where M. strigata densities can reach to more than 11,036 mussels m−2.[7] In 2014-2015, M. strigata has been reported to have invaded the Philippines, specifically in Manila South Harbor, Manila Bay, Luzon Island.[9][14] Subsequently, these mussels have appeared in Singapore in 2016,[15] in Thailand in 2018,[16] and in India in 2019.[17]
Dispersal vectors
editCharru mussels have great dispersal ability and appear to readily colonize a variety of habitats. This ability facilitated this mussel in becoming an important invasive species in several regions of the world.[7][9]
References
edit- ^ a b Bouchet, Philippe (2020). "Mytella strigata (Hanley, 1843)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ^ Sealife, Base. "Search SeaLifeBase". www.sealifebase.ca. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
- ^ d'Orbigny, Alcide D. (1842). Coquilles et échinodermes fossiles de Colombie (Nouvelle-Grenade), recueillis de 1821 à 1833, par m. Boussingault et décrits par Alcide d'Orbigny.
- ^ Keen, A.M. (1966). West American mollusk types at the British Museum (Natural History), III. Alcide d'Orbigny's South American Collection. The Veliger, 9 (1):1-7.
- ^ Masterson, J. "Mytella charruana". Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
- ^ "Preventing Invasive Species: Decontamination of Invasive Bivalve Species" (PDF). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
- ^ a b c Hoffman, Eric A.; Schneider, Kimberly R.; Brodsky, Sasha A.; Walters, Linda J.; Yuan, Wei S. (2016). "Synergistic Effects of Salinity and Temperature on the Survival of Two Nonnative Bivalve Molluscs, Perna viridis (Linnaeus 1758) and Mytella charruana (d'Orbigny 1846)". Journal of Marine Biology. 2016: 1–14. doi:10.1155/2016/9261309.
- ^ M.L. Boudreaux and L.J. Walters (May 2006). "Mytella charruana (Bivalvia: Mytilidae): A new, invasive bivalve in Mosquito Lagoon, Florida". ResearchGate. Nautilus 120(1):34-36. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
- ^ a b c d e M.A. Rice; P.D.Rawson; A.D. Salinas; W.R. Rosario (November 2016). "Identification and Salinity Tolerance of the Western Hemisphere Mussel Mytella charruana (D'Orbigny, 1842) in the Philippines". ResearchGate. Journal of Shellfish Research 35(4):865-873. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
- ^ Waite, J. Herbert; Qin, Xiao-Xia; Coyne, Kathryn J. (1997-09-19). "Extensible Collagen in Mussel Byssus: A Natural Block Copolymer". Science. 277 (5333): 1830–1832. doi:10.1126/science.277.5333.1830. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 9295275.
- ^ D.P. Mendiola; S.M. Santander-deLeon; N.C. Anasco; C.C. Baylon (2017). "Shell morphology and anatomy of the Philippine charru mussel, Mytella charruana (deOrbigny, 1842". Asian Fisheries Science vol. 30, pp. 185-194. Retrieved 20 Sep 2019.
- ^ Stenyakina, A.; Walters, L. J.; Hoffman, E. A.; Calestani, C. (2010). "Food availability and sex reversal in Mytella charruana, an introduced bivalve in the southeastern United States". Molecular Reproduction and Development. 77 (3): 222–230. doi:10.1002/mrd.21132. ISSN 1098-2795. PMID 19967719. S2CID 36709075.
- ^ Strachan, Maia (October 2012). "A comparative study on the effects of barite, ilmenite and bentonite on four suspension feeding bivalves". Marine Pollution Bulletin. 64 (10): 2029–2038. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2012.06.023. PMID 22831859.
- ^ "First record of the Charru mussel Mytella charruana d'Orbignyi, 1846 (Bivalvia: Mytilidae) from Manila Bay, Luzon, Philippines". ResearchGate. 2017. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
- ^ Lim, J.Y.; T.S. Tay; C.S. Lim; S. Lrr; S.L. M. Teo; K.S. Tan (February 2018). "Mytella strigata (Bivalvia: Mytilidae): an alien mussel recently introduced to Singapore and spreading rapidly". Molluscan Research 38(7):1-17.
- ^ Sanpanich, K. and F.E. Wells (May 2019). "Mytella strigata (Hanley, 1843) emerging as an invasive marine threat in Southeast Asia". Bioinvasion Records Vol 8.
- ^ Jayachandran, P. R.; Balakrishna Pillai, Aneesh; Oliver, Graham; Joseph, Honey; M., Jima; Harikrishnan, Kumarapillai; Bijoy Nandan, Sivasankaran (2019-10-15). "First record of an alien invasive biofouling mussel Mytella strigata (Hanley, 1843) (Mollusca: Mytilidae) from Indian waters". BioInvasions Records. 8 (4): 828–837. doi:10.3391/bir.2019.8.4.11.