Zebra mussel
（重定向自Dreissena polymorpha）
![](/Images/godic/202501/10/Dreissena_polymorpha3634.jpg")
![Close-up of a typical shell of a zebra mussel](/Images/godic/202501/10/Dreissena_polymorpha33634.jpg")
![Drawing of zebra mussel, showing the byssus](/Images/godic/202501/10/Zebra_mussel_GLERL_13634.jpg")
![Sign advising boaters on how to prevent zebra mussel spread on Titicus Reservoir in North Salem, New York](/Images/godic/202501/10/Zebra_mussel_warning_sign3635.jpg")
The zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) is a small freshwater mussel. This species was originally native to the lakes of southern Russia, being first described in 1769 by the German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas in the Ural, Volga, and Dnieper rivers. These mussels are still found nearby, as Pontic (Black Sea) and Caspian species. However, the zebra mussel has been accidentally introduced to numerous other areas, and has become an invasive species in many different countries worldwide.