Dear Jr et al.:
 
The following excerpts chronicle the vagaries of two sessile (hitch-hiking)
bivalves relevant to your inquiries.  This text is from a manuscript on the
marine shells of Northeast Florida ("1" means abundant and "5" rare; "HL",
"CL," and "WH" are collectors):
 
Mytilus edulis  Linné, 1758  Blue Mussel  [5]  35 mm.
Attached to driftwood, N. end Jacksonville Beach. WH! 10/86. (WH,HL).
Although quite alive, these specimens obviously reached us by adventitious
means.  It is quite doubtful the species could survive summer here.
 
Mytella charruana  (d’Orbigny, 1846)  Charru Mussel  [1 (extirpated)]  25 mm.
In the waterworks of cooling system of electrical plant Northside, near
Blount Is., Jacksonville. HL,CL! 10/86. (HL,CL).
A report of the massive (but temporary) introduction of this South American
species can be found in Lee (1987).  It did not survive its first winter here.
 
Harry
 
 
At 05:20 PM 4/22/98 EDT, you wrote:
>  Has anyone that lives in Florida ever found a Mytilus edulis? My books say
>it stops at South Carolina. I mean found it in Florida.
>        Jr
>
Harry G. Lee                
mailto:[log in to unmask]
Suite 500, 1801 Barrs Street
Jacksonville, FL  32204     
U. S. A.    904-384-6419
Visit the Jacksonville Shell Club Home Page at:
http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/wfrank/jacksonv.htm
 
oo  .--.  oo  .--.  oo  .--.
 \\(____)_ \\(____)_ \\(____)_
  `~~~~~~~` `~~~~~~~` `~~~~~~~`