Asian Date Mussel

The Asian date mussel (Musculista senhousia) has been found in South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia.

Habitat

  • Enclosed intertidal and shallow subtidal flats ( 8 metres)
  • Soft or hard substrates, including jetty piles and seaweed

A Asian Date Mussel

Description

  • Thin smooth shell
  • Small in size, up to 3 cm in length
  • Outer coating on shell surface is dull olive green in colour
  • Shell usually has a pattern of up to 16 fine purple to brown lines radiating from the pointed end, crossed by more zigzag lines
  • Interior shell is high lustre with wavy purple to red lines
  • Solitary mussels are usually vertically anchored into a soft substrate and surrounded by a byssal bag (cocoon of hair-like threads)
  • Generally occur just below low-tide levels in aggregated clumps
  • Individuals typically bind together in clumps to form a byssal mat
  • No hinge teeth inside shell valves
  • Hinge side of shell straight or slightly curved, other side slightly concave

You can help

Early detection and monitoring by the community are vital tools in controlling the spread and minimising the impact of marine pests.

If you know what species are normally present in all marine habitats you can learn to recognise any unusual species or species showing an abnormal change in abundance. 

You might not be able to identify a particular organism as a new invading species based on its shape or colour, but you might notice that this new organism has rapidly overgrown rocks and shoreline that historically had been a diverse community of other types of marine life.


What to do if you find an introduced species

  • Record the location accurately (use Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates if possible)
  • Record the depth and type of bottom (eg sandy, rocky and so on)
  • Record how it was found, for example tangled in fishing tackle or anchor, drifting or sighted attached to a substrate
  • Collect a sample (except in an aquatic reserve) and store it in a plastic bag
  • Don’t throw any suspicious animal or weed back in the water
  • Report all sightings of suspected marine pests to the 24 hour FISHWATCH hotline on 1800 065 522