One of the most delicious delicacies extracted from the depths of the sea. It has such a rich vitamin composition and original taste that even the ancient Greeks ate it. Modern people who adhere to a healthy lifestyle and diet have long included mussels in their diet. What are sea mussels, what are their benefits and how to cook them? Let's find out!

scientific definition

Mussels are marine mollusks belonging to the Mytilius family, a class of bivalves. In total, 6 varieties of these organisms are known, among which there are edible species. Mussels live in all seas of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. Their habitat is the littoral (tidal) zone, dominated by sandy or rocky soils. At low tide, shellfish thrown ashore are attached to small stones in groups, thereby reducing overheating. Indeed, in summer, the evaporation of water from a large number of mussel shells occurs faster than from the surface of the shells of a small colony.

Distinctive features: size and structure of mussels

Mussels are mollusks that have an elongated wedge-shaped shape, on average their size ranges from 3 to 7 cm. The shell of mussels usually has a dark color of a greenish or brown hue, the inner surface is covered with a mother-of-pearl layer. The structure of mussels resembles the structure of a scallop: they also have a double-leaf shape, that is, the inside of the mussels is in two halves of one shell, which opens and closes during high and low tides. Thanks to this, it is possible to survive on the shore until the next tide, because when they are thrown onto stones by a wave, the shell valves close tightly, thereby maintaining a sufficient supply of water in the inner mantle cavity for several days.

biological purpose

Recently, numerous discussions have flared up on the topic of the benefits and harms of mussels. The fact is that mussels are natural cleaners of the oceans, in other words, they are a filter. During the day, one mussel is able to pass through itself about 90 liters of sea water, holding any bio-garbage inside (plankton and detritus). It is precisely because of the sestonophagous way of eating that some consider the mussel to be harmful to the human body, but scientific studies have proven the opposite: the zoo- and phytoplankton eaten are processed in finely latticed gills, and then completely absorbed by the mussels (i.e., no bacteria sit in mussel mantle cavity).

Mussels can often be confused with scallops, because they are both very similar in appearance and lead approximately the same lifestyle. The shell and mussel is a natural purifier of the oceans. This fact served as an impetus for the fact that these mollusks began to be grown artificially for cleaning and filtering sea waters.

Composition and useful properties

Due to the fact that they contain a number of useful trace elements and minerals:

• Magnesium (Mg) - is involved in important life processes: glucose absorption, energy production, bone tissue building.
• Potassium (K) - is responsible for the proper functioning of the cardiovascular system and muscle tissue, regulates blood pressure and is involved in the removal of toxins from the intestines.
• Calcium (Ca) - is involved in the formation of bone tissue (teeth, skeleton), its deficiency leads to osteoporosis (bone fragility).
• Vitamin A - is responsible for the functioning of the immune system, is involved in the regeneration of the skin, how effectively the body will fight infection and viruses depends on its amount.
• Groups of vitamins B (B 3 , B 5 , B 6) are indispensable in the processes of production, distribution and transfer of energy, participate in the formation of the visual system. It has been proven that the lack of these elements leads to emotional disorders (sudden mood swings, fatigue, frequent stress due to small things).
• Vitamin E - is involved in metabolism, improves the metabolic process, the elasticity of the skin depends on its amount in the body, which means that with a lack of vitamin E, the aging process is accelerated.

The similarities between scallops and mussels are that in many ways they have a similar chemical composition. Although from a scientific point of view, they have many differences (for example, mussels lead an almost immobile lifestyle, and scallops can move due to an impulsive way of movement).

Preparing mussels for eating

Mussel meat is a dietary product containing only 50 kcal per 100 g of product, so this delicacy is not contraindicated even for those who have problems with being overweight. The main element is protein enriched with phosphatides and healthy fat, which has a beneficial effect on the visual system. So how do you peel mussels and cook them at home?

There are several ways to cook mussels: frying directly on an open fire, boiling in a saucepan, or adding raw to salads. In any case, it is necessary to clean them from the sink. The best way to do this is as follows: first, unspoiled mussels should be selected and soaked in a container of running water to get rid of sand and small debris. After 20 minutes, you can begin the process of cleaning mussels: under running water, use a brush to clean the surface of the shells, and then gently pull the “beard” (this is a cluster of fibers that attach mussels to pebbles).

Recipes for dishes with the addition of mussels

Mussel meat has a delicate taste, which, combined with the right sauce, will not leave indifferent even the most spoiled gourmet. Mussels are becoming more and more popular every day, and in each country they are prepared in their own way. Here are the best mussel meat recipes from world-class chefs!

To prepare fried mussels, you will need 200 g of clams, 1 medium-sized onion, cl. oil - 70 g, herbs, cardamom and some spices or
Step 1. Prepare the mussels, remove the shells. Cut the onion into cubes, add cardamom to it.

Step 2. Put butter in a preheated pan, wait until it melts, and then add mussel meat and prepared onions. Fry over medium heat for no more than 7 minutes. Salt and pepper.

Step 3. Sprinkle the finished dish with herbs and serve hot.

Such an appetizer in combination with lemon juice or wine sauce will be a real decoration of any table!

Reproduction and development of mussels

Although mussels are dioecious, among them there are
can meet hermaphrodites. Usually the sex ratio
1:1, although there may be shifts towards males or
females. The onset of puberty depends on
other factors: age, physiological state,
geographical and ecological habitats
etc. Mussels become sexually mature mainly in the early
age. For example, Mediterranean mussels, which
grown in the southeastern part of the Crimean coast,
reach sexual maturity within the first six months
life, with a length of shell valves of 2-2.5 cm.
but that the males of Laspi Bay (south of Crimea) aged 100-
110 days the gonads are formed, located on
mantle linings of shells; in male acini completed
but the formation of spermatozoa; ovarian acini contain 4-
6 vitellogenic oocytes with a diameter of 42-45 microns. So about-
at once, Mediterranean mussels, settled on the collectors
spring, can breed in the autumn of the same year after autumn
giving to the substrate. Gray's mussels become sexually mature
in the sixth year of life, with a shell length of 6-7 cm, however
in the Ussuriysky Bay, the males are already at the age of two or three, and the
ki - five to six years old become sexually mature.
Usually the sex of mussels is distinguished by the color of the gonads during the period
puberty: male Mediterranean mussels and eat
dobnoy - cream-colored, females - orange-red;
Gray mussel males are whitish in color, females are orange-
out.
The reproductive cycle of mussels includes the following stages
dii: pre-spawning, spawning, post-spawning, growth
and maturation. The temperature regime of the habitat of the
lyuskov determines both the time of the onset and the duration
life of each stage. The peak of mass spawning among

terrestrial mussel in the southeastern coastal waters
Crimea falls on December-January, while in May-
June recorded the lowest figures. Terms of non-re-
100 molluscs are different and can shift throughout the year.
The female in one spawning period can sweep several
to millions of mature eggs. Fertilization in mussels
external: sex products enter the mantle cavity,
then the current of water is removed to the external environment, where it is
fertilization occurs.
Stages of larval development of mussels: trochophore, great
ger (sailboat), velikonkhi, pediveliger, spat (larva, pri-
attached to the substrate).
At each stage of development, the larvae form new
organs. In the larva of the mussel Gray in the early stages of observation
there is a uniform ciliary cover, however, after some
how many hours in the upper hemisphere of the cilia larvae
new longer, in the lower one they partially disappear. And already sleeping
within 24-26 hours from the onset of development on the dorsal stripe
a dark tuft, or sultan, is formed. This larva
called a trochophore. By 48 hours on the dorsal side
there is a protrusion of the ectoderm - the shell gland.
A few hours later, on the surface of the gland, one can
expose a thin shell film.
By the end of 72 hours of development, the body of the larva is flattened,
and at its anterior end a swimming organ is formed -
sail. The larva at this stage is called veliger, or pa-
Rusnik (Fig. 3). The digestive system of the larva is
from the esophagus, stomach, short posterior intestine with anal
version. The larval muscles appear. Sink pa-
cowberry conchialine, porous surface, layers of
there is no station. When larvae are determined in plankton at the stage
veliger, or sailboat, the main systematic recognition
kami are their size and the structure of the castle.
Veliger larva of the Mediterranean mussel (Fig. 4)
transparent and colorless. The surface of the shell is cellular or
fine-grained. The shell is semicircular, equivalve
and equilateral, with a straight locking edge; has three
four teeth on each side of the valves. The length of the shell
ny - 130-148 microns, height - 65-130 microns, length of the castle
edges - 71-95 microns.
The veliger mediterranean mussel has a length of 90-
150 microns, the surface of the shell is porous, without traces of
station. The castle consists of 18-20 small teeth and 3-4 strands.
moangular teeth located along the edges (Fig. 4).
The period of development of the larva at the veliger stage continues
etsya from 14 to 25 days. After that, she moves to the stage
Velikonkhi, on which its further growth takes place
and differentiation of the soft parts of the body: pigment-
spots, eyes, posterior adductor, leg, gan-
glia, etc. The castle edge becomes concave, appears
crown. Shell length at the stage of velikonkha - 250-

300 µm. The shell acquires an oval-triangular shape
mu; its color is uniformly yellow, sometimes the middle remains
colorless, and the edges are painted; concentric growth lines
those are wide and deep, evenly spaced. Lock
well developed and consists of seven to eight large recta
bare cloves in front and behind and eleven-thirteen-
ty small teeth in the middle (Fig. 4). The larvae are long
over 250 microns, the leg is well developed.
The posterior closing muscle appears in larvae with a length
307 microns, and gill loops - in larvae 278 microns long.
To identify mussel larvae at the stage of
Likonkhs use the following indicators and recognize
kami:
- dimensional parameters (length, height, thickness of the shell
guilt);
- shell shape (ovoid, round, triangular,
elliptical, etc.);
- the structure of the castle (the number of teeth on each leaf-
ke, their shape and size);
- the presence, shape and structure of the ligament, sculpture
cows;
- leaf thickness and degree of transparency, availability
eyes - dark pigment spots, well visible
on a live larva on both sides;
- the color of the larvae and the presence of pigmentation of the internal organs;
ganov.
Velikonkhi length - 250-350 microns. Before settling on
substrate, the length of her leg increases and in the elongated
position, it is 3-4 times the length of the larva itself.
This stage is called pediveliger. clam in this
stages perfectly swims, crawls, uses to search
suitable substrate for settling the foot. This period is about
lasts about a week, after which the pediveliger is attached
lyatsya to the substrate byssus threads. If the larva of the pope
gives in unfavorable conditions, then it unfastens
and is looking for another period of time.
After 1.5-2 months from the beginning of its development, the larva
starts to settle. Spat is finally settled on the sub-
stratum larva. At this stage, she loses the sail, its place
it takes the leg. Intensive growth of the posterior edge begins
shells, there is a displacement of the top and the castle edge
to the front edge of the shell, its color becomes darker
nym. It is at the spat stage that mollusks pass to adults.
mu way of life, although there may be a break in the byssal
threads and moving the mollusk to a more suitable place.
According to many years of observations in
southeastern part of the Crimea, at 14 months the length of the mussel here-
the Mediterranean is an average of 48.7-49 mm, weight -
9.3-9.5 g, and the survival rate from the moment of settling of the larvae is
4,6-4,8%.
Monthly growth of spring spat shells in summer
reaches 5 mm, in autumn - 1 mm, in winter - 1 mm, and in spring and summer
next year's volume - 6 mm. Thus, in 16 months
tsev, the length of the mussel increased to 57-58 mm, and the mass - to
11.5 g. It was noted that in mussels of autumn generation, the growth rate
lower than that of spring settling mollusks, which is due to
prolonged stay of juvenile mollusks in an unfavorable
pleasant conditions. Young mussels edible in the laboratory
conditions grows 4 times faster than juvenile mediterranean mussels
nomorskoy. The fact that under natural conditions
Laspi Bay, the Mediterranean mussel demonstrates more
Faster growth rate than bay mussel
East of the Sea of ​​Japan, due to the high average annual
howling water temperature in the waters of the Southern Crimea.
The rapid growth of the edible mussel is observed in the Barents
the sea in the Arctic. During the first year of life, the rate
growth of mussels kept in cages in the Western Zele-
netskaya, relatively high: the maximum increase in the composition
26 mm or 250% of the original size. Mussels of the second
years grow only by 10 mm or 124%, but by the end
the third year there is an increase of about 140%. Mussels goods-
size - with a mass of 23.5 g and a length of more than 50 mm - with
put at least 85%.
There is a direct relationship between the speed
growth of mussels, on the one hand, and their reproductive activity
density and water temperature, on the other. For shellfish Ker-
the Chechen Strait, the values ​​of the lower and upper temperatures
are 5 and 23 °C, respectively, but the most
intensive growth is observed at a water temperature of 14-
20 C.
The growth of mussels is associated with filtration, due to which
respiration and nutrition processes are possible. Mussels Kerch-
th strait have the lowest filtration activity
ness at a temperature of 7.5 °C. Minimum values
increases in filtration (2.1) are observed at temperature
round 22 ° С, and the maximum (3.9-4.2) - at a temperature
water temperature 14-18 °C.
Filtration intensity cannot be the same
in different geographical habitats of mussels, therefore
it is necessary first of all to take into account the conditions of the environment, physio-
the logical state of the shellfish, the season of the year. For example,
mediterranean mussel in the waters of the northwestern
part of the Black Sea has the highest filtration
activity in winter and spring.
Seasonal changes in the filtration activity of milk
lyuskov depend on the salinity and temperature of the water, the amount
of the oxygen dissolved in it. At water temperature
10 °C, the filtration intensity of mussels is 3 times higher than
at 20 °C. A 5% decrease in water salinity causes
increase in filtration by 1.8 times compared to intensive
the intensity of this process at 15% salinity. Also in-
a decrease in the oxygen content in water (1-2) increased
improves filtration by 1.8 times compared to how
this process occurs at an increased content of acid
Lord (8-9).
Does not have a special effect on the growth of mussels
change in illumination during the day, since the amount
calcium intake during the day and at night is identical.
As a result of a long study of the characteristics of growth
mollusks from various biotopes of Peter the Great Bay
came to the conclusion that the edible mussel, born in
early breeding season, develops and grows faster.
When growing edible mussels and mediterranean mussels,
nomorskoy in open and closed water areas and maintenance
them in the upper and lower water horizons, it was found that
mollusks that are
in cages in the lower horizons.
A great influence on the processes of growth and development is
the time of the year. For example, in the Mediterranean mussel,
cultivated in open water areas of the southeastern part
Crimea, indicators of linear growth during nursery
cycles (10 months) vary on average from 44.0 to 67.3 mm
(leaf length) and from 7.8 to 31.4 g (total weight).
During this time, two growth peaks are observed -
in May-August and October.
The following trend is observed: increasing
size and weight of mussels grown on collectors, but
at the same time, molluscs are thinning out
due to their natural decrease from collectors. Likely
but, this is due to the fact that some of them are less
fixed on the substrates of the collector or on the valves of the
her settled mussels. Storms and intense bottom currents
during unfavorable periods of the year (late autumn and early
spring) wash them off the substrate.
Great value for quantitative distribution
commodity mussels (length of valves - not less than 5.0 cm) on sub-
reservoir strata has the depth of its placement in the thickness
water. As the collector deepens (10-11-18-19 m from
surface of the water), the number of
shellfish. For example, at a depth of 10-11 m, the average
the value of the Mediterranean mussel is 81%, and in the deep
binet 18-19 m - only 56%.
Thus, it can be said with certainty that
mussels of the Mediterranean south-eastern part of the Crimea ha-
characteristically a decrease in the density and biomass of cultivated
molluscs with increasing depth from 10-11 to 18-19 m.
Due to improper placement of collectors in the crowd
more water, the final annual production decreases by 2.5 times
for (from 8.0 to 2.9 kg per linear meter of collector).
Those who are engaged in the cultivation of mussels in the coastal
of the Crimean waters, it can be advised to conduct them
cultivation at a depth of up to 16 m from the surface of the water. In that
case, the rates of development of mollusks will be high, and the average
ny annual output of products (5 kg from one linear met-
collector ra).
Growth rates and life spans of mussels from different habitats
tanya are not the same. Edible mussels of the White Sea reach
grow maximum sizes for 12-15 years, and the duration
their life expectancy is up to 30 years. Gray mussels living in Japan
sea, grow up to 30-35 years with a life expectancy
not up to 100 years old. Californian mussels reach their maximum
ma in size by the end of the third year, but also the duration
their life is relatively small - 10-11 years.

see also

On the banks of many rivers and in dense thickets, everyone is able to collect a certain amount of mollusks in shells. But there are many questions about their edibility, their usefulness ... and in general - what are river ones so as not to get poisoned and enjoy such an unusual dish?

River mussels: not to be poisoned ...

The main food of river mussels are numerous microorganisms in all their diversity. Thus, these mollusks serve as a kind of filters that purify their native reservoir. It is believed that the presence of mussels in the river indicates a certain purity of its waters. However, for safety, it is recommended to refrain from eating these mollusks if the water in their habitat seems suspicious in appearance, color, smell.

Edible?

Almost any river mussels are edible. You can eat those that were collected on the river, and those whose habitat is a swamp, and those that live in the lake - the main thing is that the water in the reservoir is fresh and clean. And one more prerequisite: having decided to eat these particular mollusks, you should strictly and strictly adhere to the technology of their preparation, since (like living natural filters) river mussels accumulate a lot of unpleasant and rather harmful substances for the body. Thus, improper preparation of river mussels can lead to sad consequences.

Preliminary preparation of the product

Mussels can be harvested on their own, can be purchased frozen (peeled and unpeeled). Frozen food must be thawed. Mussels should be thoroughly washed, and those in the shell should be cleaned of dirt, sand, debris in all grooves, the fibers at the junction of the valves should be removed.

By the way, all shells that have not opened after the initial heat treatment should be thrown away without regret - the product inside is still spoiled.

When processing the shells that have opened after thermal “procedures” (boiling, frying, etc.), the internal organs of the mollusk are usually removed, although there are lovers who consume this delicacy as a whole.

Everyone for a picnic!

Imagine that river mussels were suddenly discovered during outdoor recreation. How to cook them simply, reliably and tasty? Washed, cleaned of debris, clams should be soaked in a mixture of water, vinegar (and the latter should be 2 times more) and a decent amount of salt. Such a marinade will destroy the smell of mud and harmful microorganisms. After 20-30 minutes, you can start cooking - fry them on a grill over a fire. Roasted opened mussels are lightly sprinkled with oil and salted. Well, if there is Wasabi horseradish in or a picnic basket and a couple of bunches of any greens - this is an ideal seasoning for such a dish.

Mussel soup

Baked river mussels

There are many options for how to cook river mussels. Cooking recipes differ both in processing methods and in the quality of the purchased raw materials - mussels can be used peeled or not, small and medium. However, enough lyrics, it's time to get down to business.

Take a couple of pieces of shallots, wash, chop finely. Peel and squeeze a couple of cloves of garlic, grate Parmesan cheese (100 g) on ​​a coarse grater, finely chop a bunch of parsley.

Boil water in a deep saucepan (necessarily with a thick bottom), pour in a glass of dry white wine, add chopped onions and lower the mussels. Cook at maximum heat for about 5 minutes under the lid, then remove, remove one (!) sash from all opened shells.

In a separate bowl, mix the prepared cheese, garlic, parsley, a third of a spoon of chili pepper powder and half a kilogram of white breadcrumbs, pour in 3 dessert spoons of olive oil and mix thoroughly.

Put the mussels on a baking sheet with the sink down, cover each of them with the resulting mixture and put in the oven preheated to 200 ° C for 15 minutes.

Stewed river mussels

Here, peeled, frozen, and shelled river mussels are suitable. How to cook them in sauce? It is to this issue that we will now pay special attention. Boil a kilogram of mussels in salt water, drain, put in a pan, pour a glass of white wine-"cracker" (can be replaced with rose or cider) and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Finely chop the celery, onion, fresh rosemary and thyme. Fry celery and onion until translucent in vegetable oil (preferably olive oil), then add chopped greens and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.

Grind two egg yolks with a glass of sour cream and pour over the mussels, then add the finished frying, a quarter teaspoon of red hot pepper, salt to taste, saffron and mix thoroughly. Next, you need to simmer the dish over low heat until it thickens, stirring regularly and not letting the dish boil.

Fried potatoes go well with such mussels with sauce.

The shell of mussels is elongated, wedge-shaped, narrowed at the top, called the crown, and expanded from below.

The coloration is dark, sometimes blue-black. Its entire surface is covered with more or less distinct concentric lines of growth, arising from the uneven growth of the mollusk. On the shells of mussels, it is possible to distinguish growth zones, or the so-called growth rings, by which one can judge the age of the mollusk. The growth of the shell occurs from the lower, opposite to the crown, edge of the shell.

We already know that shell valves in molluscs are covered with an organic substance called conchiolin from above. At the crown, at the junction of the valves, this outer integumentary layer forms an elastic cord - a ligament that fastens the valves together. The rod works like a spring. With relaxation of the closing muscles, with which the mollusk pulls the shell valves together, the ligament contracts and opens the shell. Near the ligament, in some mussels, small denticles form on one shell valve, corresponding to notches on the opposite valve. They perform the function of a real castle, i.e. contribute to the correct closing of the valves and prevent them from shifting when the sink is closed. From the inside, the shell valves are strongly concave, and traces of attachment of various muscles are distinguishable on their surface. The places of attachment of the muscles-contactors are very clearly visible.

The inner surface of the mussel shell is covered with a mother-of-pearl layer. It is formed by the thinnest calcareous plates located parallel to the surface of the valves, which explains its characteristic brilliance due to the interference of light in thin films. Shades of mother-of-pearl in different mollusks depend on the thickness of the plates, on their relative position, and on the thickness of the conchiolin layers between them.

From the upper part of the body, covering it from the sides, there are two thin and wide folds of the mantle. In the mantle cavity, fenced off by these folds, lie the torso. gills, mouth lobes and leg of a mollusk. The mantle is attached to the apex (crown) of the shell by special muscles, while the folds of the mantle are free at the lower edge of the valves. On the side of the convex edge of the shell, opposite the leg protruding from it, the folds of the mantle coalesce, leaving only two holes: the outlet siphon, through which water flows out of the mantle, and the second hole, through which water enters the mantle cavity. The free edges of the mantle are similar to a scalloped "frill" or, as it were, cut into thin tentacles. A very important work of the mantle is the formation of a shell, the growth of which is carried out due to the activity of the marginal cells of the mantle lobes, and the mother-of-pearl layer is deposited by the entire outer surface of the mantle.

The mussel leg is like a finger or a narrow tongue. Unlike oysters, which, as already mentioned, lead an absolutely immobile lifestyle, as a result of which their leg is completely reduced; in mussels, the leg provides a completely normal opportunity to move. It is equipped with skin glands that secrete byssus - a special, fast-hardening horn-like substance in the form of thin threads. Intertwined with each other, like yarn on a spinning wheel, these threads form thicker "ropes" that the mollusk glues to the substrate. Glue is secreted by other skin glands lying on the surface of the leg. In contrast to the oyster, which tightly adheres to the substrate of one of the valves, as a result of which it becomes asymmetrical, mussel shells are attached to the substrate with byssus threads in such a way that the plane of the valves is perpendicular to the surface of the substrate, i.e. the shell stands vertically on its top, and its valves are in the water in an equal position. This is the reason for the symmetry of the valves.

All mussels are marine inhabitants that prefer shallow depths with a hard bottom. This is quite understandable, since the mussel is a filter feeder, which means that its gills can easily become clogged on muddy soils. Just like oysters, mussels prefer clean, well-mixed water. Under favorable conditions, in those places where there is a lot of food, they form the so-called banks, i.e. mass settlements. Only unlike oysters, mussels do not settle here in layers, on top of the shells of previously settled mollusks, but next to each other, which is why such settlements are often called brushes. The fact is that mussel shells are very smooth and slippery; byssus threads are very poorly attached to them. The larva even tries to sit on the shell of an adult mussel, but it is immediately washed away by a current of water. It is easier to attach to the rough, rough surface of the rocky bottom, which is why mussels settle in rows. In those places where the bottom is not very suitable, mussel larvae are very willing to settle on algae threads. Then the clams can detach and make quite significant migrations in search of a good bottom. Adult mussels change habitats only under very unfavorable conditions, cutting off the byssus and moving to a new place.

By type of nutrition, mussels are filter feeders. Small planktonic organisms brought with the flow of water into the mantle cavity settle on the surface of the gills and oral lobes and move to the mouth with the help of the beating of cilia. Often, with a stream of water, the larvae of their own brethren also enter their mouths. Most of the larvae, due to the presence of their shells, pass through the digestive tract of an adult mussel completely unharmed. Only those that have a damaged shell are digested. Accordingly, the older the larva, the larger and stronger its shell, and the more likely it is to be alive after passing through the digestive system of another mussel.

Filtration is a continuous process, but its speed is regulated by the mollusk. Intestinal ganglions enhance filtration, cerebral ganglions delay it. The intensity of filtration also depends on age: small mussels filter more intensively than adults (you need to eat more to grow!).

Most mussels are dioecious, but in some species individuals may temporarily become bisexual. They become sexually mature long before they reach their maximum size, even individuals 3 centimeters long can already have mature eggs. Fertilization in mussels is external and occurs directly in the water. Further development goes with transformation. Approximately a day later, a trochophore emerges from a fertilized egg, which has a parietal sultan of long cilia. During the movement of the trochophore, the sultan is directed forward, and it floats due to shorter cilia covering the front of the body. The trochophore already has a shell rudiment located on the dorsal side. In the future, the shell becomes bivalve and embraces the entire larva. At this stage, at the anterior end of the larva, a swimming organ is formed - a sail that looks like a disk covered with cilia. Therefore, the larva itself is now called a sailboat, or veliger. The presence of free-swimming larvae in mussels, however, as in all bivalve mollusks leading an attached lifestyle, is of great importance for the distribution of the species.

Five days after hatching, the sail is still preserved, although the veliger stage is already over. As the larva grows, it becomes heavier, sinks to the bottom and begins to search for a suitable place for further sedentary life. Her command during this period is extremely interesting. It is curious to observe the crawling larva. So she stopped and lay on her side, and at that time her foot began to describe circular movements in the water, as if doing exercises. Now she crawled further, all the time feeling the bottom with her foot, but when feeling, she moves her foot not from side to side, but from top to bottom, as if patting. She lay down on her side again and rotates her foot in the water. Oh, it turns out she can even stand on top of the sink and twirl her leg! ... I got tired of crawling - I swam, spreading the sail, and with my foot making all the same circular movements, like a blind man feeling the road with a stick. She sank to the bottom again and crawled, but not on her foot, but with the help of a sail. She released a thread of byssus, glued it to a pebble, and she surfaced herself. It sways on a thread like a balloon, then again it releases its leg and twists it, while rotating on the byssus thread. It's like riding a carousel and dangling his leg! She grabbed the byssus thread with her foot and slid down, as if on a tightrope. She swam again, unraveling the sail. It has again fixed itself on the byssus thread and flies, describing the figure eight, while periodically hitting the bottom ...

Finally, the larva finds a suitable place and attaches itself to the substrate with the help of the byssus. By this time, her sail disappears and the byssal gland begins to work at full power. The larva is firmly fixed with the help of a thick byssus "rope". The leg greatly increases in size, becomes very mobile and can serve as a good organ of movement for molluscs, in which, for some reason, the byssus threads can break.

Mussels have a lot of enemies. Larvae and young mollusks are eaten in large quantities by fish (cod, rays, flounders). Sea stars - these ferocious predators of the sea, eat adult molluscs, sometimes completely devastating their settlements. As we already know, mussels can also be eaten by fellow-type mussels - trumpeter gastropods.

Mussels, like oysters, are edible mollusks, and therefore in many countries they are bred artificially. In Spain, rafts are used for this, to which long ropes are hung. Floating larvae settle on them. During the growth period, the mussels are transplanted to a thicker rope. From one raft, on average, 50-60 tons of mussels are received per year. In France, stakes driven into the bottom near the shore are used for this purpose. Growing mussels are transferred to stakes closer to the shore. These stakes are located at a distance of 75 centimeters from each other and are braided with willow or chestnut branches. The mussels are hung in fine-mesh cotton bags, which, after attaching the molluscs with the help of their own byssus, gradually rot. On the territory of the former Soviet Union, experiments on the cultivation of mussels were carried out in the Kerch Bay of the Black Sea.

Black Sea mussels reach commercial sizes in the second year. From a farm with an area of ​​1 hectare, you can get up to 500 tons of pure mussel meat. The most popular is the common edible mussel, which is widespread in all our seas: the White, Barents, Bering, Okhotsk and others.