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The zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) is a small freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Dreissenidae.The species originates from the lakes of southern Russia and Ukraine, [3] but has been accidentally introduced to numerous other areas and has become an invasive species in many countries worldwide.
The Dreissenidae are a family of small freshwater aquatic bivalve molluscs, commonly called mussels although not at all closely related to true mussels. The shells of these bivalves are shaped somewhat like those of true mussels, which they also resemble in attaching themselves to a hard substrate such as stone using a byssus; however, this group is more closely related to the venus clams ().
A mussel (genus Mytilus), attached to a rock by its byssus Illustration of the byssus of Dreissena polymorpha, the freshwater zebra mussel. A byssus (/ ˈ b ɪ s ə s /) is a bundle of filaments secreted by many species of bivalve mollusc that function to attach the mollusc to a solid surface.
Record low water levels exposed previously submerged rocks and facilitated the discovery of the mussels. "Since zebra mussels were first detected in Texas in 2009 in Lake Texoma on the Oklahoma ...
The Brushy Creek Municipal Utility District said it's no longer worried about an aquatic invader that has taken over dozens of lakes across Texas.
The quagga mussel resembles the zebra mussel, just as its namesake (quagga) resembles the zebra. The quagga mussel shell can be distinguished from the zebra mussel shell because it is paler toward the end of the hinge. It is also slightly larger than the zebra mussel, about 20 mm (0.8 in) wide, roughly about the size of an adult human's thumbnail.
The zebra mussels can use up all the food in the vicinity and deplete the oxygen, and may also consume the native mussels' larvae and sperm, preventing reproduction. Deposits of waste products degrade the habitat. [7] Other invasive species include the Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea), which competes with the native mussel and consumes its sperm ...
The most common types of dreissenids are Dreissena polymorpha (Zebra mussel) and Dreissena rostriformis (Quagga mussel). [14] These mussels damage both ecological systems and human infrastructure. In North America, biofouling caused by dreissenids created 267 million dollars’ worth of damage between 1989 and 2004. [ 14 ]