In Europe,
Mytilus galloprovincialis is found in the
Mediterranean Sea and the
Black Sea, and on the Atlantic coasts, in Portugal, north to
France and the
British Isles and Norway. Recently this species has also been found in the European Arctic including northern Norway and Svalbard. In the northern
Pacific the species is found along the coast of
California, where it was introduced from Europe by human activity in the early 20th century, and also in the
Puget Sound region of
Washington state, where it has been subject to aquaculture. It is also present as an invasive species on the Asian coast throughout
Japan, including
Ryukyu Islands, as well as in
North Korea and around
Vladivostok in Russia.
Mytilus galloprovincialis is also present as a native lineage in parts of the
Southern Hemisphere. In addition there are populations introduced from the north recently with human activity. These lineages are distinguished by genetic characters. No original
Mytilus populations lived in
southern Africa, but the Mediterranean mussel was introduced from Europe in 1984 and is now the dominant low intertidal mussel on the West Coast. The distribution spans an area from the
Namibian border to
Port Alfred, intertidally to just below the low tide border.
M. galloprovincialis is also found in
New Zealand,
Australia and South America. ==Description==