The depressed river mussel10 live individuals of the depressed river mussel
The depressed river mussel or compressed river mussel, Pseudanodonta complanata, is a species of freshwatermussel, an aquaticbivalvemollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels. The species name comes from the flattened shape of its shell.
This species is found throughout northern Europe, but it is endangered throughout its range.
While the survival of this species is thought to be threatened by pollution and the dredging of the slow-moving channels of water in which it lives, the species is also said to be "easily overlooked" (it can be confused with Anodonta anatina or juvenile Anodonta cygnea) and thus it may be actually be more prevalent than current records show.
Distribution
Its native distribution is European. It has been recorded from:
^ ab(in Czech) Horsák M., Juřičková L., Beran L., Čejka T. & Dvořák L. (2010). "Komentovaný seznam měkkýšů zjištěných ve volné přírodě České a Slovenské republiky. [Annotated list of mollusc species recorded outdoors in the Czech and Slovak Republics]". Malacologica Bohemoslovaca, Suppl. 1: 1-37. PDF.
^Juřičková L., Horsák M. & Beran L., 2001: Check-list of the molluscs (Mollusca) of the Czech Republic. Acta Soc. Zool. Bohem., 65: 25-40.