Air Exposure as a Control Mechanism for the Golden Mussel, Limnoperna fortunei,(Bivalvia: Mytilidae)

Abstract

We examined the response of the invasive freshwater bivalve Limnoperna fortunei to air exposure under different conditions of relative humidity, at 25.00 ± 0,4°C. Survival of L. fortunei increased with relative humidity. Specimens exposed to air without humidity control (49 to 63% relative humidity) did not survive more than 120 hours, while those held in an elevated humidity environment survived up to 168 hours. Smaller mussels reached 100% mortality before larger ones. Consequently, in industrial systems colonized by L. fortunei, the periodic elimination of water for less than six days will not be an effective control mechanism.