Swan Mussel, Anodonta cygnea

The Swan Mussel, Anodonta Cygnea, is a large species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk belonging to the family Unionidae, the river mussels.

Due to its morphological variability and its wide range of distribution, there are over 500 synonyms for this species.

The shell is thin but it is large and rather flat, even at the umbo. The coloration of the shell is often pale greenish or brownish.

The native distribution is European-Siberian. The geographical distribution of this species is from the British Isles eastwards to Siberia, and south into northern Africa. The distribution range is Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, The Netherlands, Sweden, British Isles, Portugal and Italy.

You can find this mussel in river and lakes.

Image Caption: Anodonta cygnea (latin), swan mussel (en), Större dammussla (sv) from Sweden. Credit: Boldie/Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)