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The Coral-eating Mussel

  • Writer: José H. Leal
    José H. Leal
  • Mar 30, 2018
  • 1 min read

The Coral-eating Mussel, Gregariella coralliophaga (Gmelin, 1791), is a coral-rock boring species, found locally within small coral branches strewn on the beach after storms. The common name is a misnomer, as these mussels do not eat coral, only use the coral skeleton as a substrate for boring. The 20-mm (about ¾ inch) shell is inflated, with a strong ridge on its postero-dorsal part. The shell margins are finely serrated. The shell interior is iridescent, bluish-white. The periostracum is thick, heavy, but often absent in dead shells.


The Coral-eating Mussel, Gregariella coralliophaga, from Sanibel. Photos by José H. Leal.

 
 
 

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