Here come the clam: Southernmost record worldwide of the Asian clam Corbicula fluminea (Patagonia, Argentina)

Abstract

The invasive Asiatic clam, Corbicula fluminea (Müller, 1778), is reported in new localities from the Negro River, from Conesa until Viedma. Fourteen years since its first record in this area, the species has established in the entire Negro River basin, upstream until Cipolletti and downstream until Viedma, where it reached densities up to 525 ind./m2. The most probable dispersal vector of clams is passive upstream and downstream transport which is probably facilitated by some human activities, such as fishing, fish stocking, recreational activities, sand and gravel extraction. This work state the southernmost record worldwide of C. fluminea.