Importance of Biological Collections in the study of naid populations (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Hyriidae) in Argentina.

TORRES SANTIAGO; DARRIGRAN GUSTAVO

Tentacle

University of Hawaii

Lugar: Hawaii; Año: 2013 p. 21 - 23

0958-5079

Freshwater mussels (naiads) in the families Hyriidae and Etheriidae are infaunal species occurring in the Neotropical region. Habitat alteration and competition with the invasive species Corbicula fluminea and Limnoperna fortunei (Darrigran et al., 1998; Clavijo, 2009) impact their natural populations. Globally the rate of extinction of freshwater bivalves is very high, and greater than in other groups, notably vertebrates. The IUCN Red List (Baillie et al., 2004) shows that of the 306 bivalve species assessed, 41% are seriously threatened. Given that they are considered one of the most endangered groups at risk of extinction, distributional and systematics studies are important in their conservation as they allow recognition of potential priority areas for protection (Bogan & Roe, 2008). This communication presents the start of a research project on the geographical distribution of Diplodon spp.