Live Marine Mussel Internal anatomy Index Courses Zoo Review Clam and Mussel Mussel Search

Image by: Vilma Estudillo

The internal anatomy of a live marine muscle that has just been opened. Visible are the:

• shell (valve)
• mantle - lines the shell, very lightly colored tissue
• gill - lies on top of the mantle, somewhat darker peach tissue on each half of the shell
• metanephridia - dark line at the base of each gill (near the hinge)
• foot - dark red structure in the center of the picture
• visceral mass - light yellow structure to the right (posterior) of the foot
• posterior adductor muscle - white circles to the right of the visceral mass (they are the muscles that hold the shell together, and had to be cut to open the mussel)
• byssal theads - black structures below the foot in the picture; used to hold the mussel onto rocks
• siphons - dark bands at the posterior of the mantle
• scalpel handle - metal structure the posterior of the mussel is lying on