Mytilopsis sallei (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Dreissenidae) established on the Mediterranean coast of Israel

Abstract

The black striped mussel Mytilopsis sallei, originally described from Guatemala, is reported for the first time from the Mediterranean Sea. In the late 20th Century the species was transported to south-east Asia, where it has caused economic and ecological damage. Its recent discovery in Haifa Harbour, Israel, suggests that the vessel-transported species has been established in the Mediterranean as well.