Tag Archives: Dreissenidae

Dreissena elata Andrusov

Triangular Mussel (Dreissena elata)

The Triangular Mussel was described in 1897; the species was endemic to the shores of the Caspian Sea.

Between 1917 and 1919, the Dwarf Mussel was introduced to the Caspian Sea; this invasive species multiplied successfully and replaced the native mussel banks.

The Triangular Mussel was last found alive in 1957, it is now extinct. [1]

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syn. Dreissena polynorpha var elata Andrusov

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References:

[1] Frank P. Wesselingh; Thomas A. Neubauer; Vitaliy V. Anistratenko; Maxim V. Vinarski; Tamara Yanina; Jan Johan ter Poorten; Pavel Kijashko; Christian Albrecht; Olga Yu. Anistratenko; Anouk D’Hont; Pavel Frolov; Alberto Martínez Gándara; Arjan Gittenberger; Aleksandre Gogaladze; Mikhail Karpinsky; Matteo Lattuada; Luis Popa; Arthur F. Sands; Sabrina van de Velde; Justine Vandendorpe; Thomas Wilke: Mollusc species from the Pontocaspian region – an expert opinion list. ZooKeys 827: 31-124. 2019

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edited: 18.11.2021

Dreissena caspia ssp. caspia Eichwald

Caspian Triangular Mussel (Dreissena caspia ssp. caspia)

The Caspian Triangular Mussel was described in 1855; it was restricted to the Caspian Sea.

Between 1917 and 1919, the Dwarf Mussel was introduced to the Caspian Sea; this invasive species replaced the native mussel banks, resulting in the extinction of the Caspian Triangular Mussel and the closely related Triangular Mussel (Dreissena elata Andrusov). [1]

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A closely related species, the Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas)) (photo below) has been introduced to several lakes in North America, where it has become invasive itself.

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Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha)

Photo: amandammvt
https://www.inaturalist.org/people/amandammvt
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

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References:

[1] Frank P. Wesselingh; Thomas A. Neubauer; Vitaliy V. Anistratenko; Maxim V. Vinarski; Tamara Yanina; Jan Johan ter Poorten; Pavel Kijashko; Christian Albrecht; Olga Yu. Anistratenko; Anouk D’Hont; Pavel Frolov; Alberto Martínez Gándara; Arjan Gittenberger; Aleksandre Gogaladze; Mikhail Karpinsky; Matteo Lattuada; Luis Popa; Arthur F. Sands; Sabrina van de Velde; Justine Vandendorpe; Thomas Wilke: Mollusc species from the Pontocaspian region – an expert opinion list. ZooKeys 827: 31-124. 2019

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edited: 18.11.2021