Zebra mussel
Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas, 1771)
The zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) is a mollusc in the class Bivalvia and the family Dreissenidae. It belongs to the genus Dreissena, the subfamily Dreisseninae and the superfamily Dreissenoidea, within the phylum Mollusca.
Quick facts about the zebra mussel
The zebra mussel is a living species, assessed globally as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- up to 5 cmsrc for Length
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- freshwatersrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the zebra mussel
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the zebra mussel live?
Not recorded
What is the zebra mussel?
The zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) is a small freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusc in the family Dreissenidae. The species originates from the lakes of southwestern Russia and southeastern Europe, but has been accidentally introduced to numerous other areas and has become an invasive species in many countries in the Northern Hemisphere. Since the 1980s, the species has invaded the Great Lakes, Hudson River, Lake Travis, Finger Lakes, Lake Bonaparte, and Lake Simcoe. The adverse effects of dreissenid mussels on freshwater systems have led to their classification as among the world's most invasive aquatic species.
The species was first described in 1768 by German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas in the Ural, Volga, and Dnieper Rivers. Zebra mussels get their name from a striped pattern commonly seen on their shells, though it is not universally present. They are usually about the size of a fingernail, but can grow to a maximum length around 50 mm (2 in). Their shells are D-shaped, and attached to the substrate with strong byssal fibres, which come out of their umbo on the dorsal (hinged) side.
From the Wikipedia article “Zebra mussel” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zebra_mussel&oldid=1383336588), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the zebra mussel endangered?
The zebra mussel is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the zebra mussel classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumMollusca
- classBivalvia
- familyDreissenidae
- genusDreissena
- SpeciesDreissena polymorpha (Pallas, 1771)
Synonyms Congeria polymorpha, Deissena polymorpha, Dreissena andrusovi, Dreissena angustiformis, Dreissena aralensis, Dreissena arnouldi, Dreissena bedoti, Dreissena belgrandi, Dreissena caspia, Dreissena caspia pallasi, Dreissena caspia pallasi, Dreissena complanata, Dreissena curta, Dreissena eximia, Dreissena fluviatilis, Dreissena kuesteri, Dreissena küsteri, Dreissena latro, Dreissena locardi, Dreissena lunata, Dreissena lutetiana, Dreissena magnifica, Dreissena obtusecarinata, Dreissena occidentalis, Dreissena pallasi, Dreissena paradoxa, Dreissena paradoxa, Dreissena polymorpha, Dreissena polymorpha andrusovi, Dreissena polymorpha aralensis, Dreissena polymorpha arnouldi, Dreissena polymorpha obtusecarinata, Dreissena polymorpha var. lacustrina, Dreissena polymorpha var. tschapurica, Dreissena recta, Dreissena servaini, Dreissena sulcata, Dreissena tumida, Dreissena ventrosa, Dreissena westerlundi, Dreissensia andrusovi, Dreissensia angustiformis, Dreissensia aralensis, Dreissensia arnouldi, Dreissensia bedoti, Dreissensia belgrandi, Dreissensia chorezma, Dreissensia complanata, Dreissensia cornuiformis, Dreissensia curta, Dreissensia ebersini, Dreissensia eximia, Dreissensia fluviatilis, Dreissensia gubkini, Dreissensia kambai, Dreissensia kopetdagica, Dreissensia latro, Dreissensia latro var. oraria, Dreissensia locardi, Dreissensia lunata, Dreissensia lutetiana, Dreissensia magnifica, Dreissensia nalivkini, Dreissensia occidentalis, Dreissensia pallasi, Dreissensia paradoxa, Dreissensia polymorpha, Dreissensia polymorpha var. angustiformis, Dreissensia polymorpha var. aralensis, Dreissensia polymorpha var. arnouldi, Dreissensia polymorpha var. balchanensis, Dreissensia polymorpha var. eximia, Dreissensia polymorpha var. fluviatilis, Dreissensia polymorpha var. latior, Dreissensia polymorpha var. obtusecarinata, Dreissensia polymorpha var. occidentalis, Dreissensia polymorpha var. servaini, Dreissensia polymorpha var. ventrosa, Dreissensia recta, Dreissensia servaini, Dreissensia sulcata, Dreissensia tumida, Dreissensia ventrosa, Dreissensia vestae, Dreissensia westerlundi, Mytilina polymorpha, Mytilus arca, Mytilus chemnitzii, Mytilus fluvis, Mytilus hagenii, Mytilus polymorphus, Mytilus polymorphus fluviatilis, Mytilus polymorphus var. fluviatilis, Mytilus polymorphus var. marinus, Mytilus volgensis, Mytilus wolgae, Mytulus polymorphus, Mytulus polymorphus var. fluviatilis, Mytulus polymorphus var. marinus, Pinna fluviatilis, Tichogonia chemnitzii, Tichogonia polymorpha
Other names and names in other languages (30)
- Many-shaped dreissenaEnglish
- Wandering musselEnglish
- Wandering musselEnglish
- بلح البحر المخططArabic
- muxón cebraAsturian
- Musclo zebratCatalan
- slávička mnohotvárnáCzech
- vandremuslingDanish
- WandermuschelGerman
- DreiecksmuschelGerman
- DreikantmuschelGerman
- Μύδι ζέβραGreek
- Mejillón cebraSpanish
- RändkarpEstonian
- vaeltajasimpukkaFinnish
- Moule zébréeFrench
- vándorkagylóHungarian
- Cozza zebraItalian
- Cozza zebrataItalian
- Paprastoji dreisenaLithuanian
- Daudzveidīgā sēdgliemeneLatvian
- sebramuslingNorwegian Bokmål
- DriehoeksmosselDutch
- gewone driehoeksmosselDutch
- Racicznica zmiennaPolish
- Mexilhão-zebraPortuguese
- Речная дрейссенаRussian
- kopýtko prirastenéSlovak
- vandrarmusslaSwedish
- Дрейсена річковаUkrainian
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List
Relatives of the zebra mussel
Other species in the same genus Dreissena.
CompareZebra mussel vs Quagga musselZebra mussel vs Dreissena abchasicaZebra mussel vs Dreissena accurtiiZebra mussel vs Dreissena anatolica
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the zebra mussel?
The zebra mussel is a mollusc in the class Bivalvia and the family Dreissenidae.
What is the scientific name of the zebra mussel?
The scientific name of the zebra mussel is Dreissena polymorpha, in the genus Dreissena.
Is the zebra mussel endangered?
No. The zebra mussel is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List in a global assessment, which is not a threatened category.
Is the zebra mussel extinct?
No. The Catalogue of Life lists the zebra mussel as a living species.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe · CC BY 4.0 · 2.0
Chauvier, Y., Adde, A., Bergamini, A. et al. (2025) TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/zebra-mussel
“Zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/zebra-mussel.
@misc{zebra_mussel_2026,
title = {Zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/zebra-mussel},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}