Golden mussel

Habitat

• Inhabits both freshwater and brackish environments, tolerating salinities up to 3ppt
• Found to inhabit waters between 8 and 32°C
• Tolerant of polluted and contaminated waters
• The planktonic stage settles on hard substrates on the bottom of reservoirs, lakes, rivers, irrigation channels and estuaries, where it matures to adult

Description

• A freshwater mussel, 1-5cm long, with a smooth and shiny golden/yellowish-brown shell
• It is dark brown in colour above the umbonal keel and paler brown below
• The inner surface of the shell has a purple mother-of-pearl layer above the keel and is white below
• There are no byssal notches or hinged teeth present on the shell
• Once present in a habitat it can form dense colonies of up to 80,000/m², on any hard submerged substrate, including the shells of other molluscs
• A lifespan of around 3.2 years
• They are filter feeders, filtering plankton and organic matter from the water column

Origin and Worldwide Distribution

• Native to the rivers and lakes of China, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand
• Now established in Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil

Potential or Known Impacts

• Dense colonies foul intakes, pipes and filters of water treatment plants, power stations and industries
• Fouling leads to pipe obstruction, reduced water flow, increase in corrosion of pipes
• Mussel mortality leads to pollution of the water way
• Native bivalves are unable to feed as a result of intense colonisation by L. fortunei, resulting in death
• The dense beds of L. fortunei modify the habitat, displacing native species
• High filtration rates modify nutrient concentrations and improve water clarity, leading to algal blooms

Is it found in Northern Ireland?

• It is not currently present in Northern Ireland

How could it get here?

• Introduction would likely be via ballast water discharged from ships
• Once present, it can spread through waterways on the hulls of commercial and recreational vessels, nets and buoys
• It can spread passively via natural downstream dispersal

Management/Methods for Prevention

• Prevention via enforcing the IAS (Enforcement and Permitting) Order (Northern Ireland) ensuring that L. fortunei is not introduced to Northern Ireland
• Reporting any sightings so that Rapid Response can be instigated
• If Rapid Response is not successful, management can include physical and chemical control

Current Legislative Position (Listed on 02 August 2022)

• This species must not intentionally be brought into the Union; kept; bred; transported to, from or within the United Kingdom, unless for the transportation to facilities in the context of eradication; placed on the market; used or exchanged; permitted to reproduce, grown or cultivated; or released into the environment.

Research

Species Related Files:

RA_Limnoperna fortunei_Golden_mussel