Implanted byssal hairs on postlarval shells of Mytilus edulis platensis (Bivalvia: Mytilidae) from Patagonia

Isola, Tomás EVarisco, Martín ACazzaniga, Néstor J

This communication describes the first records of byssal hairs on the postlarvae shells of Mytilus edulis platensis d'Orbigny, 1842. The postlarvae used in this study were sampled on artificial collectors used for mussel culture in San Jorge Gulf, Sudoccidental Atlantic Ocean. A general description of the hairs is made as well as an exploratory analysis of their spatial distribution on the shell surface. The presence of these byssal hairs is suggested as a criterion to differentiate M. edulis platensis from other mytilids.(AU)

1. byssus threads
2. mussel postlarvae
3. mussel culture
4. spat settlement