Mytiloida

Mytiloida
Three shells of Perna viridis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Subclass:	Pteriomorphia
Order:	Mytiloida
Superfamilies
Mytiloidea

Mytiloida is an order of saltwater clams, marine bivalve mollusks, commonly known as mussels.^[1] 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.

2010 taxonomy

In 2010, a new proposed classification system for the Bivalvia was published by Bieler, Carter & Coan. This included the suborder Mytiloida.^[2]

• Superfamily: Mytiloidea
  • Family: Mytilidae

References

1. Mytiloida Ferussac, 1822.  Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 9 July 2010.
2. Bieler, R., Carter, J.G. & Coan, E.V. (2010) Classification of Bivalve families. Pp. 113-133, in: Bouchet, P. & Rocroi, J.P. (2010), Nomenclator of Bivalve Families. Malacologia 52(2): 1-184