Also found in: Thesaurus, Wikipedia.
A small freshwater mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) usually having a striped shell, native to the Black and Caspian Seas but now widespread in European and North American lakes and rivers.
(Animals) Canadian a small striped variety of mussel
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.
A small freshwater mussel, usually having a striped shell, that is native to Europe and Asia but is now widely established in the Great Lakes and other North American waterways. Zebra mussels often clog water-supply pipes and reduce levels of plankton on which other water-dwelling life depend.
Switch to new thesaurus
|Noun||1.||zebra mussel - inch long mollusk imported accidentally from Europe; clogs utility inlet pipes and feeds on edible freshwater mussels|