Aulacomya atra
Species of bivalve
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aulacomya atra, called also the Magellan mussel[2] or the ribbed mussel,[1][3] is a southern species of edible saltwater mussel, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Mytilidae, the true mussels.[1] Note that the common name ribbed mussel is also used of the Northern Hemisphere mussel Geukensia demissa.
| Aulacomya atra | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Bivalvia |
| Order: | Mytilida |
| Family: | Mytilidae |
| Genus: | Aulacomya |
| Species: | A. atra |
| Binomial name | |
| Aulacomya atra (Molina, 1782) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Aulacomya atra is native in South America - in Peru, Chile (where it grows up to 170 mm in length), the Falkland Islands and Argentina.[2] It is also found on the coasts of New Zealand and southern Africa, from Namibia to Port Alfred, South Africa, from the intertidal to 40 m.[3] Introduced specimens have been found in Moray Firth, Scotland.[2] In Southern Africa the species grows up to 90 mm in length. It usually lives in crowded intertidal beds. Individual animals have brown ribbed shells, which darken to black with age.[4]
