Biomonitoring of mussel bed assemblages can provide valuable information about the impact of pollution on hard substrate assemblages. This study of Mytilus galloprovincialis mussel beds in Thermaikos Gulf (northern Aegean Sea) deals with the spatial and temporal structure of the associated fauna. Samples were collected and abiotic factors were measured in two successive years. Common biocoenotic methods were employed to analyze the data. The samples could be separated into three groups, with summer and winter samples being clearly different. A total of 100 species were found: polychaetes and crustaceans were the most dominant taxa. The assemblage shows high diversity with respect to species abundance. Biotic interactions within the assemblage appear to influence its composition, although the total evenness remains unaffected in space and time. The M. galloprovincialis assemblages can be found in clean as well as in polluted waters and, therefore, are of great interest in biomonitoring studies.Keywords Infralittoral · Hard substratum · Mussel beds · Biomonitoring galloprovincialis populations: the piers of Agia Triada (ST1) andPerea (ST2) (Fig. 1). These piers were constructed 25 years ago and are supported by concrete pillars, which comprise the substrate for the mussel beds. At these sampling sites, the M. galloprovincialis populations develop a uniform physiognomic aspect, with large numbers of mussels covering an area that extends from the lower infralittoral zone down to a depth of 2.5 m.

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