Fish and Marine Life Illustrations

Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha), watercolor, pencil, colored pencil

Commissioned by: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Also commissioned by Nature Conservancy Magazine

About zebra mussels:
Zebra mussels are an invasive species in North America, first seen in 1988. They are believed to have been brought to the continent via ships from Europe, being in the ballast water of the vessels. They have since caused a disruption to local mussel populations due to their voracious appetites. They attach to hard surfaces by byssus threads. Zebra musssels originated in the Ponto-Caspian region of western Russia. They are bivalve mollusks, having two shells hinged by a strong adductor muscle. Female zebra mussels can produce 30,000 to 1,000,000 eggs within a year, which further complicates the potential for reducing native species. The larvae are called veligers.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Veneroida
Superfamily: Dreissenoidea
Family: Dressenidae
Genus: Dreissena
Species: D. polymorpha

More about zebra mussels:
Wikipedia: zebra mussels
Gulf of Marine Aquarium: Zebra Mussels
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: Zebra Mussel

Also See:

Keywords related to art on this page: zebra mussel, artist, illustrator, picture, freshwater invasive species, ecology, ecological, mussels, artwork, images, image, picture, pictures