The common name mussel is used for members of several different families of clams or bivalve molluscs, from both saltwater and freshwater habitats. "Mussel" is historically applied to bivalves of the marine family Mytilidae, most of which live exposed in the intertidal zone, attached by means of strong byssal threads to a firm substrate. Bivalves referred to as "clams" generally live buried in a soft material, and communicate to the surface by means of a tube or siphon. In most marine mussels… (More on Mussel)