Margaritifera auricularia
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Genus
SPECIES
Margaritifera auricularia

2022}}

Margaritifera auricularia is a species of European freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Margaritiferidae, the freshwater pearl mussels. Formerly found throughout western and central Europe, the species is now critically endangered, being confined to a few rivers in Spain and France. M. auricularia is commonly known as Spengler's freshwater mussel in honour of Lorenz Spengler, who first described this species.

Appearance

Large shells are up to 180 mm in length.

Distribution

Geography

Continents
Biogeographical realms

It is found in:

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  • France – recent distribution
  • Italy – recent
  • Spain – recent
  • Portugal – recent(?) or fossil(?)
  • maybe in some rivers in north Africa: Morocco
  • Germany – locally extinct from upper Rhine after 1500
  • Netherlands – extinct or fossil
  • Belgium – extinct or fossil
  • Luxembourg – extinct or fossil
  • Czech Republic – only fossil records in layers with settlement from neolite: Ďáblice, Kobylisy, Roztoky, Podbaba.
  • United Kingdom – ?

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Habits and Lifestyle

The fish hosts for the glochidium larvae of this species are: Salaria fluviatilis, Gambusia holbrooki, Acipenser baerii, Acipenser naccarii and Acipenser sturio.

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The hosts for this species were unknown for a long time: as recently as 1998 they were still not known.

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Diet and Nutrition

Population

References

1. Margaritifera auricularia Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaritifera_auricularia
2. Margaritifera auricularia on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/12798/180285338

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