Adam's mussel (Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal Network )

Adam's mussel

Brachidontes adamsianus

Range and Habitat ²

Range
Brachidontes adamsianus is found from Santa Barbara, California (USA) and the Channel Islands through Mexico and Latin America to Ecuador (Gemmell et al. 1987).

Habitat
B. adamsianus, Adam's Mussel, can be found in brackish or salt water basins.

Morphology and Identification ²

Morphology and Identification
Brachidontes adamsianus is a species of bivalve that can be dark brown to white in color. The shell has an angled dorsal margin and has bifurcating ribs but the shape and ribbing is variable. This species is not well documented in California and may be synonymous with Mytilus sternsi or Mytilus multiformis originally described by Carpenter 1864 (New York Zoological Society 1946).