— NOTE —
Asiatic Clam, Corbicula fluminea, in Northwestern Patago!
(Argentina)
ABSTRACT.
‘The invasive Asiatic clam, Corbicula fluminea (Miller, 1778),
is reported from the Negro River, at Chimpay, in the Patagonian
shrubland. The invasion seems to have occurred in 1997-1998,
as revealed by its absence in the field assessments made up to
January 1997 and the presence of a layer of Corbicula empty
shells in the dry sand banks left by the flood of the river in
winter 1998,
When the introduced Asiatic clams were found in the Colorado River
(Argentina), this location was deemed to be on the southernmost latitude
the species could reach due to cold constraint (Cazzaniga 1997). This
statement left open the possibility that the clams colonized the
Patagonian zoogeographical realm (Ringuelet 1961) to the West, on the
upper part of the Negro River. This proved to be true with the finding of
Corbicula fluminea (Miller, 1778) at Chimpay (Rio Negro Province, 39° 10”
S - 66° 10” W), where it probably entered during 1997.
One of us (CP) regularly does field work in the Chimpay area during
summers (except 1998). No live Asiatic clams were observed there until
January 14, 1999, when the first samples were found. It is worth noting
that in January 1997 the Negro River was canoed from Chimpay to
Viedma (a distance of about 550 km), and nearly every 25 to 50 km a
survey was made by digging the coastal sand and by skin-diving.
Although many samples were obtained, no Corbicula fluminea was found
in that campaign.
Notwithstanding, a flood in July 1998 (winter) left some sand banks
with an abundance of Corbicula fluminea shells; thus a dense population
of the Asiatic clam had developed there, probably during the summertime
of 1997-1998 (December-March).
At present, populations of Asiatic clams are quite abundant in two
small streams flowing to the Negro River, 5 km from each other, near the
town of Chimpay. Clams were also collected in the Negro River itself, in a
public bath site 6 km to the east of Chimpay. Since this part of the river
is not navigable, the clam was not introduced accidentally via water
ballast (Ituarte 1994) but more likely was introduced by the fishermen
who used the clam as bait.
Voucher specimens from Chimpay were deposited at Museo de La
Plata (Argentina) (25 alcohol preserved clams; collection number 5430).
‘Their measures are summarized in Table 1.
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Jour o Freshwater Ecology, Voume 14, Number 4-Dscember 1999
ee‘Table 1. Measurements of the voucher specimens of Corbicula fluminea
from Chimpay (Argentina
N=25 | Length Height Width —Length/ Length
(mm (mm) (mm) Height Width
Mean yaa e508 10,75) 1.16 1,62
Standard dev. | 1.90 1.99 1.37 0.04 0.04
Maximum. 2155 1935 14.15 1.29 174
Minimum 13.50__11.35 8.40 1.10 1.52
LITERATURE CITED
Cazzaniga, N. J. 1997. Asiatic clam, Corbicula fluminea, reaching
Patagonia (Argentina). Journal of Freshwater Ecology 12 (4):629-630.
Ituarte, C. 1994. Corbicula and Neocorbicula (Bivalvia: Corbiculidae) in the
Parand, Uruguay, and Rio de la Plata Basins. Nautilus 107 (4):129-
135.
Ringuelet, R. A. 1961. Rasgos fundamentales de la zoogeografia de la
Argentina. Physis 22:151-170.
Néstor J. Cazzaniga and Cristian Pérez
‘Universidad Nacional del Sur
Departamento de Biologia, Bioquimica y Farmacia
18000 Bahia Blanca, Argentina
552
Recoive: 6 May 1999 Accopies 27 September 1990
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