Abstract
The genus Mytilus comprises a large number of bivalve mollusk species distributed throughout the world and many of these species are considered invasive. In South America, many introductions of species of this genus have already taken place, including reports of hybridization between them. Now, the occurrence of the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis is reported for the first time from the Brazilian coast. Several specimens of this mytilid were found in a shellfish growing areas in Florianópolis and Palhoça, Santa Catarina State, Brazil. Morphological analysis of the shells and molecular analysis through sequencing of the cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) confirmed the taxonomic identification. The species is known for its great invasive potential and can become a major environmental problem for seafood business and coastal communities, as it can compete and even hybridize with local species.
Highlights
The Mytilidae Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamarck, 1819) was originally described for the Mediterranean Sea, and later introduced in areas far from its region of origin
As the native species M. platensis has its northern boundary in Santa Catarina-Paraná region (Rios, 2009), a differentiation with M. galloprovincialis was necessary
The interaction between P. perna and M. galloprovincialis has already been reported to the African coast, where the two species live together (Bownes & McQuaid, 2006)
Summary
The Mytilidae Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamarck, 1819) was originally described for the Mediterranean Sea, and later introduced in areas far from its region of origin. It occurs in South Africa (Grant & Cherry, 1985) and is widely distributed throughout Australasia (McDonald et al, 1991). Its previous absence in South America was, for a long time, considered intriguing given the long history of trade between this continent and the countries bordering the Mediterranean (Seed, 1992). The species began to be cited for South America, in Chile, Argentina and Uruguay
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