zebra mussel

American  

noun

1. a small striped freshwater mussel from NE Europe, Dreissena polymorpha: introduced to the Great Lakes in the 1980s and deleteriously affecting water pipes, other fauna, etc.

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zebra mussel British  

noun

1. a small striped variety of mussel

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Example Sentences

Zebra and quagga mussels are both freshwater species, native to Eastern Europe, with the zebra mussel growing up to 2 inches in length, and the quagga mussel slightly bigger.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 26, 2021

While the average adult zebra mussel is fingernail-size, juveniles as small as a poppy seed can easily go unnoticed in a damp crevice or deep in a drain hole.

From National Geographic • Jan. 6, 2021

A citizen involved in a monitoring program reported a single zebra mussel in Lake John, in Wright County, in late September.

From Washington Times • Oct. 11, 2015

The zebra mussel was introduced to the Great Lakes from Europe prior to 1988 in ship ballast.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013

So named because of the patterns on its shell, the zebra mussel is native to Russia and Ukraine.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2012