Asian clam
Corbicula fluminea
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Corbicula fluminea
Origin and Distribution:
Impacts:
Is it found in Northern Ireland?
How did it get here?
Biosecurity:
For further queries, you can contact the Invasive Non Native Species (INNS) Team in the Northern Ireland Environment Agency on 028 9056 9558 or Email: invasivespecies@daera-ni.gov.uk
Corbicula fluminea
Habitat:
Description:
- Freshwater lakes and streams of all sizes with mud, silt, sand and gravel benthic substrate (The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers).
Description:
- Typically this bivalve grows up to 25 mm in length but larger forms are know which can grow up to 50 to 65 mm.
- C. fluminea has a yellowish brown to black shell with concentric, evenly spaced ridges on the shell surface.
- This species is hermaphroditic, and has a high level of reproduction.
Origin and Distribution:
- Originated in China, Korea, south-eastern Russia, and the Ussuri Basin. Now widespread in Europe and the United States.
Impacts:
- Asian clam reaches high densities and colonises suitable substrates.
- It has similar impacts to the zebra mussel, competing with other species for food and space.
- Water based industries, such as hydroelectric power stations and water abstraction for household use may be faced with higher costs due to the clogging of intake pipes by this species.
- In the US one estimate from 1980 put the costs of correcting this problem at an estimated 1 billion dollars annually (ISSG).
- They can also negatively impact on sand/gravel abstraction.
Is it found in Northern Ireland?
- C. fluminea is present Northern Ireland and Ireland.
- It is now known to be present in the River Foyle, the River Shannon, Keeldra Lough (Leitrim), Lough Derg, The River Barrow and the River Nore.
- More distribution information can be found on the NBN Atlas NI
You can help by reporting any sightings: @ the Centre for Environmental Data & Recording (CEDaR) - Or via the iRecord App.
How did it get here?
- C. fluminea could have been introduced to Northern Ireland in boat bilge water as live bait or as a result of escapes from the aquarium trade. C. fluminea are known as "pygmy" or "gold" clams in the aquarium trade.
Biosecurity:
- All water users, follow the rules of the Check Clean Dry campaign to ensure good biosecurity protocols.
- GBNNSS Rapid Risk Assessment
- Report all sightings.
For further queries, you can contact the Invasive Non Native Species (INNS) Team in the Northern Ireland Environment Agency on 028 9056 9558 or Email: invasivespecies@daera-ni.gov.uk
NIEA ID Guide- Corbicula fluminea (Asian clam)