| Page last updated
9 August 2018 |
Unionoida cum Grano Salis
Palearctic Region
Palearctica extends from the British and Irish Isles and northern Africa to Siberia and Japan. We currently recognize only 65 species (22 genera) from that whole region. However, as we have discussed elsewhere, malacologists using the Comparatory Method have estimated a significantly higher diversity. The Palearctic assemblage is represented by two families: Unionidae and Margaritiferidae.
The Palearctic is divided among five subregions. The Europe Subregion (PA1; 8 genera, 26 spp.) extends from the Atlantic to the Ural Mountains, including northern Africa. The Middle East Subregion (PA2; 6 genera, 11 spp.) is composed of the streams of the Levant and the Tigris-Euphrates System. The large, relatively depauperate (2 genera, 3 spp.) internal basins of Central Asia and middle Russia form the Central Subregion (PA3). The Amur-Beringia Subregion (PA4; 12 genera, 19 spp.) includes the Amur River, Primorye, Korea, and northern China to Magadan and Kamchatka. On the Pacific side, the Japan-Sakhalin Subregion (PA5; 11 genera, 19 spp.) includes all the islands of Japan, Sakhalin Island and the southern Kurils.
Click here to find more information about problems associated with estimating Palearctic freshwater mussel diveristy.
Endemic species are marked with an asterisk (*).
Europe Subregion (PA1) |
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- Anodonta anatina
- Anodonta cygnea*
- Anodonta exulcerata*
- Margaritifera margaritifera
- Microcondylaea bonellii*
- Potomida acarnanica*
- Potomida littoralis*
- Pseudanodonta complanata*
- Pseudanodonta elongata*
- Pseudanodonta middendorffi*
- Pseudunio auricularia*
- Pseudunio marocana*
- Sinanodonta woodiana
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- Unio bruguierianus
- Unio crassus
- Unio delphinus*
- Unio durieui*
- Unio elongatulus*
- Unio foucauldianus*
- Unio gibbus*
- Unio ionicus*
- Unio mancus
- Unio pictorum*
- Unio ravoisieri*
- Unio tumidiformis*
- Unio tumidus*
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Middle East Subregion (PA2) |
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- Anodonta pseudodopsis*
- Anodonta vescoiana*
- Leguminaia saulcyi*
- Leguminaia wheatleyi*
- Potomida semirugata*
- Pseudodontopsis euphraticus*
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- Pseudunio homsensis*
- Unio bruguierianus
- Unio crassus
- Unio mancus
- Unio tigridis*
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Central Subregion (PA3) |
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- Anodonta anatina
- Anodonta cyrea*
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- Sinanodonta woodiana
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Amur-Beringia Subregion (PA4) |
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- Aculamprotula coreana*
- Anemina arcaeformis
- Anemina euscaphys
- Cristaria beirensis*
- Cristaria plicata
- Inversidens pantoensis
- Inversiunio verrucosus*
- Lamprotula gottschei
- Lanceolaria acrorrhyncha*
- Lanceolaria cylindrica*
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- Margaritifera dahurica
- Margaritifera middendorffi
- Nodularia douglasiae
- Nodularia mongolica*
- Pronodularia seomjinensis*
- Sinanodonta beringiana
- Sinanodonta japonica
- Sinanodonta woodiana
- Solenaia triangularis
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Japan-Sakhalin Subregion (PA5) |
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- Anemina arcaeformis
- Cristaria plicata
- Inversidens brandtii*
- Inversiunio jokohamensis*
- Inversiunio reinianus*
- Inversiunio yanagawensis*
- Lanceolaria oxyrhyncha*
- Margaritifera dahurica
- Margaritifera laevis*
- Margaritifera middendorffi
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- Nodularia douglasiae
- Pronodularia japanensis*
- Pseudodon omiensis*
- Sinanodonta calipygos*
- Sinanodonta japonica
- Sinanodonta lauta*
- Sinanodonta ogurae*
- Sinanodonta woodiana
- Sinohyriopsis schlegelii*
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