The mussel Mytilopsis leucophaeta (Conrad, 1831) is native to North America. It was found at Pernambuco Coast, northeastern Brazil, in 2004, probably brought by ships' ballast water. The distribution of this species has been now spread to estuarial area near Recife Harbour. They showed a clumped distribution with a maximum of 176,800 ind./m² only in the intertidal zone.
Dreissenidae; environmental impact; invasive species; macrofouling; Neotropical