Parques de Portugal

<p> <em>Margaritifera margaritifera </em>(Linnaeus, 1758)</p>

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  • River Mussel

  • Margaritifera margaritifera (Linnaeus, 1758)

  • Margaritiferidae

  • The river mussel is a bivalve with a long and fragile shell, of black colour when adult and red when young. It can measure up to 11 cm long. This species has a long lifespan and certain individuals can be as old as 140 years old or more.

  • Montesinho Nature Park

  • Norte

  • Not Evaluated

  • The river mussel exists in rivers with clean and well oxygenated waters, preferring areas in the shade of riparian galleries. It buries itself on the sand or non compacted thin sediment, usually on the shores or interstices formed by stones, rocks or foliage. Since it is extremely intolerant of any kind of pollution, it serves as a good indicator for the quality of the water.

  • All year long

  • The adult river mussel feeds on debris and plankton, which they filter from the water, and its larvae (glochidia), parasite salmon like fish, such as the salmon and trout, going through several metamorphosis, until they release themselves from the fish. 

  • The Portuguese population of this species is estimated to be between 500 thousand and 1500 thousand individuals.