The Swan Mussel has an oval-shaped shell which is usually a brown colour with lots of darker or lighter brown curved lines. Over 5000 juvenile mussels have been found on the gills of a single fish. People are often more familiar with the Swan Mussel Anodonta cygnea or the Duck Mussel Anodonta anatina, and most will never be fortunate enough to see this rare cousin. Like similar clams and mussels we can get here, swan mussels reproduce by creating black specks on the surface of fish kept with them. If there are any questions you have then please get in touch before you place an order. Swan Mussels can reach an adult size of 15 cm - 6", and can live up to 12 years if kept correctly. It can sometimes be a yellow-brown or an olive-brown colour. Taxonomic hierarchy Kingdom Medium sized species of freshwater mussel. I've never heard any negatives regarding keeping Swan Mussels in ponds (UK). Anodonta cygnea (Swan mussel). Native to the UK mainland and widely introduced in Northern Ireland. Adult Swan mussels I'm sure are not really on the menu but the smaller more fragile juvenile mussels must be on the carps hit list for a tasty snack but the juvenile mussels might not live within the large mussel beds but I don't know due to only ever finding the big fellas. A large European freshwater mussel of still or slow-moving water, the larvae of which parasitize fish. Swan mussel cutting groove through mud. Mine are all alive, however, it did cross my mind that if I want an algae free pond and I use products to aid in this matter, the Swan Mussels will loose out on food. The inside of the shell is pearly white and the soft body inside is a rosy orange colour. In an aquarium, move out fish before they become heavily coated. The two can also be distinguished by looking at the posterior (pointed end) adductor muscle scar. Lymnaea stagnalis (Great pond snail). ... Painter mussels. Swan Mussels (Anodonta cygnea) Feeding off pond debris and other small pond organisms, these native large molluscs will help filter debris from your pond and clean the water as they do so. ... Swan Mussel. Sep 15, 2016 Rating: swan mussel pearls by: Jorge Costa Hello Frances, thank you for your prompt reply, sadly you cannot collect shells or pearls from the freshwater mussel in Scotland as it … Recently I obtained two rather nice swan mussels for my freshwater aquarium.This was another attempt to get my pair of Bitterling to breed. the swan mussel Of the several species of freshwater Mussel native to the British Isles the Swan Mussel is the most commonly sold in aquatic retail outlets. Perhaps I should explain. Native to the UK. The swan mussel, Anodonta cygnea, is a large species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusc in the family Unionidae, the river mussels. This is a wildlife heaven, perfect for anglers, dog walkers and bird watchers alike. Swan mussels are sold as “an aid to filtration” because they filter feed on planktonic algae (green water) but they produce larvae that are parasitic on fish. Established in 1964, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species. The swan mussel is a very large bivalve mollusc which lives in streams, rivers and along lakeshores where the bottom is of rich mud or silt and relatively free of plant growth. The freshwater pearl mussel and its habitat are fully protected by law, under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) and Annex 2 of the Habitats Directive. The image used above is for illustration purposes only. Recorder 3.3 (1998), version 1 Scottish Biodiversity List, version 1 Print version. They don't appear to have bred this spring. The Swan Mussel is a large species of freshwater mussel, typically found in lowland lakes, canals, and quiet river backwaters with low current, muddy or silty substrates, and sparse vegetation. A couple of weekends ago I was having a walk around Sand Hutton Gravel Pits, a gin clear gravel pit near us here in York. Depending of the size and maturity of the adult, the larvae may be released in hundreds or hundreds of thousands at a time. Home / Our science / Data / UK Species. Anodonta cygnea, family Unionidae ‘He put his stick into the gap between the two halves of the complete shell and the swan mussel immediately clamped on to the stick.’ The Swan Mussel, Anadonta cygnea, is larger and the hinge margin is parallel to the mid-axis. They are cold blooded though and need very little to survive. Thanks for looking! AquaBid.com: Closed Auction # fwsnails1604383143 - Anodonta cygnea (Swan Mussel) - Ended: Mon Nov 2 23:59:03 2020. Approximately sized 10-20cm, they sit at the bottom of the water feeding on particles of decaying vegetation and small live foods. Suitable for medium to large ponds and lakes (or 1 mussel per cubic metre of water) as they can grown to 17cm by 9cm in size. This being said, it is not uncommon to find them in lakes, and other still water environments. The Bitterling is a small coldwater fish that lays its eggs inside the swan mussel where they develop into small fry. The shell of this freshwater Swan Mussel (Anodonta cygnea) was found surprisingly at low tide amongst the rockpools on Swanpool Beach, Falmouth on the seaward side of the Swanpool freshwater nature reserve.A small whole drilled into it suggests it was eaten by a Dog Whelk (Nucella lapillus) which are plentiful on the rocks around the pools at low tide. The pearl mussel is also a threatened species, and there is some evidence that the swan … Freshwater pearl mussels have a fascinating lifecycle, of which part is spent attached to the gills of young salmon and brown trout. Here, these aquatic bivalve molluscs burrow into the soft substrate, leaving just their two siphon tips exposed. Offering a stunning Swan Mussel (Anodonta cygnea) - approx 4 ... 5 cm. However, other factors impacting populations include: Approx shell length 10cm. - Flickr - gailhampshire.jpg 1,768 × 1,152; 355 KB The Intellectual observer (1862) (14782335444).jpg 1,898 × 2,754; 815 KB Swan Mussels - Buy Online or direct from one of our UK Superstores. They are sort of in a middle ground between hitchhikers and parasites, normally causing very little harm. The pits in Sand Hutton date back to the Triassic years, and underneath them is mudstone.It struck me how crystal clear the water was. These … They’re also known as swan mussels and are a different type to the endangered freshwater pearl mussel which is still found in scotland and other places (I found a shell in the ardeche-they like clean chalky/limestoney water) Ha! There is some contention as to whether these molluscs need moving, and highly aerated water, as they are generally found in streams, and rivers. Anodonta (Anodonta) cygnea (Linnaeus, 1758) - Swan Mussel Primary navigation. Lack of host fish in rivers is one of the problems leading to the decline in populations. Description/identification The Depressed River Mussel is a rare, green or brown river bivalve (meaning two-shells). Five species of mussel live in lowland rivers in Britain, and one, the pearl mussel, in upland waters. Swan mussels are a relatively large species of freshwater mussel with shells that feature a pale green and brown colour. Shell is buff or light brown in colour. datasets have provided data to the NBN Atlas for this species.. 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