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Mussels are dioecious (i.e. the sexes are separate), and there are usually equal numbers of males and females. The gonads extend throughout most parts of the body, except the gills, muscles and foot. Most of the gonad is in the mantle (Figure 2.6), thus accounting for its unusual thickness in mussels. The colour of the reproductive tissue is not a good indicator of the sex of an individual. Each gonad consists of a converging system of ducts leading to a gonopore on the tip of the genital papilla, which is located in the exhalant portion of the mantle cavity. Gametes are shed through the exhalant opening of the mantle and fertilisation takes place in the water column. After mussels have released their gametes, the mantle is thin and transparent. See Chapter 5 for a full description of mussel reproduction.