Potomida littoralis

Potomida littoralis
Dried shell (syntype at MNHN, Paris)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Unionida
Superfamily: Unionoidea
Family: Unionidae
Genus: Potomida
Species:
P. littoralis
Binomial name
Potomida littoralis
(Cuvier, 1798)
Synonyms
  • Mysca (Potomida) corrugata Swainson, 1840 (junior synonym)
  • Potomida (Potomida) litoralis [sic]
  • Potomida littoralis fellmanni (Deshayes, 1848)
  • Potomida littoralis umbonata (Rossmässler, 1844)
  • Rhombunio asananus Pallary, 1928 (junior synonym)
  • Unio calderoni Kobelt, 1888 (junior synonym)
  • Unio fellmanni Deshayes, 1848
  • Unio hispalensis Kobelt, 1888 (junior synonym)
  • Unio incurvus I. Lea, 1831
  • Unio ksibianus Mousson, 1873 (junior synonym)
  • Unio littoralis Cuvier, 1798 (original combination)
  • Unio littoralis var. bucheti Pallary, 1899 (original combination)
  • Unio littoralis var. pequignoti Pallary, 1901
  • Unio littoralis var. umbonatus Rossmässler, 1844
  • Unio marteli Pallary, 1918 (original combination)
  • Unio subtetragonus Michaud, 1831 (a junior synonym)
  • Unio unduliferus Küster, 1861 (junior synonym)

Potomida littoralis is a species of freshwater bivalve belonging to the family Unionidae.[1][2] It is sometimes known as black river mussel.[2][3]

Distribution and habitat

The species is found in southwestern Europe (France, Spain and Portugal) and northwestern Africa (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia).[1] Potomida further east are now assigned to other species (P. acarnanica and P. semirugata).[1]

Potomida littoralis typically occurs in the middle to lower river sections, but can occasionally be found in the upper parts of the calcium-rich rivers.[1]

Reproduction

In the Iberian Peninsula, gravid females are observed from March through October. Its known hosts are all cyprinids.[1]

Conservation

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, this species is endangered and in decline.[1] Canalization of river channels, water pollution, and dam construction are major threats. Water extraction is harming populations in much of its range except in France. The distribution of P. littoralis in the Iberian peninsula and in France is highly fragmented.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Lopes-Lima, M. (2024). "Potomida littoralis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2024 e.T95537387A95538047. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2024-2.RLTS.T95537387A95538047.en. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  2. ^ a b Bieler R, Bouchet P, Gofas S, Marshall B, Rosenberg G, La Perna R, Neubauer TA, Sartori AF, Schneider S, Vos C, ter Poorten JJ, Taylor J, Dijkstra H, Finn J, Bank R, Neubert E, Moretzsohn F, Faber M, Houart R, Picton B, Garcia-Alvarez O, eds. (2025). "Potomida littoralis (Cuvier, 1798)". MolluscaBase. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  3. ^ "Potomida littoralis (Cuvier, 1798)". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  • Locard, A., 1889. - Contributions à la faune malacologique française: catalogue des espèces françaises appartenant aux genres Margaritana et Unio connues jusqu'à ce jour. Annales de la Société linnéenne de Lyon 35"1888": 111-169
  • Pallary, P. (1918). Diagnoses d'une cinquantaine de mollusques terrestres nouveaux du Nord de l'Afrique. Bulletin de la Société d'Histoire Naturelle d'Afrique du Nord, 9 (7): 137-152. Alger
  • Pallary, P. (1928). Notice sur seize mollusques nouveaux du Maroc découverts en 1926-1927. Journal de Conchyliologie, 72 (1): 1-24, pl. 1-4. Paris.
  • Graf, D., 2011. - Types of French freshwater mussels (Mollusca, Bivalvia, Unionoidea) in Arnould Locard Collection at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris. Zoosystema 33(4): 451-514