Mytilaster minimus (Poli, 1795)
Mediterranean & adjacent. Intertidal filter feeder, on rocky ledges, often in lagunar systems. Endangered by the invasive species Brachidontes pharaonis ( P. Fischer, 1870).
Original taxon: Mytilus minimus.
Amidst stones, Domaculata beach, Siracusa, SE. Sicily. 8mm.
At low tide on rocks, Nador, Mar Chica, NE. Morocco. 18mm.
A cluster in G. Poli: Testacea utriusque Siciliae vol. IV, Parma 1791-1796, plate XXXII.
Poreč, Istria, NW. Croatia. 13mm.
A large and curved specimen from Salses-Leucate lagoon, Occitania, S. France. 17mm. Original pictures provided by A. Bertrand (FR) – (CC BY-NC-SA).
Larger than solidus and at least as large as marioni, M. minimus bears a rather irrelevant name. Shallow water, Novsko Ždrilo, Zadar comitat, Croatia. 18mm. Original pictures provided by N. Lete (HR) – (CC BY-NC-SA).

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