Asian Date Mussel or Bag Mussel
Have you see this marine pest in NSW?
Asian Date Mussel, also known as Bag Mussel (Musculista senhousia)
Key features
- Up to 3cm long
- Smooth, fragile shell
- Zigzag stripes
Dead shell of Musculista senhousia
Habitat
Soft or hard surfaces; just below tide level (attach with byssal threads).
Current locations
Not known in NSW Found in Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania.
Impacts
Fouls man-made structures; forms dense mats; competes with natives for food and space.
Similar native species
No mussels native to NSW have the radial bands or zigzag patterns.
Blue Mussel Mytilus edulis Key Features: Large fan-shaped shell Bluish-black colour, Habitat:, Found on sheltered and moderately exposed rocky reef, pylons and pontoons
Brachidontes rostratus Key Features: Long flat shell, Regular rounded ribs, Forms dense mats, Habitat: Exposed rock platforms
Xenostrobus pulex Key features: Small shiny inflated shell, Black colour, Lives in dense clumps, Habitat: Exposed rock platforms
Trichomya hirsute Key Features: Numerous hairs on bottom half, Habitat: Common intertidally and subtidally along the NSW coast
If you see this pest in NSW, please report it immediately
- Note the exact location
- If possible take a photo and/or collect a sample
- Freeze sample in a plastic bag
- Report your sighting
Photograph credits: Native species: Graham Edgar, Australian Marine Life Asian bag mussel: in situ - Clay Bryce, WA Museum; dead - Graham Edgar, Australian Marine Life