Summary Description

Corbicula fluminea, more commonly known as the Asian clam, is a fresh water species. Adults are generally 25 mm in size (Gottfried and Osbourne 1982), although individuals can grow up to 70 mm (McMahon 1999). Shells are oval shaped in juveniles and triangular in adults, and have distinct concentric rings (Parmalee and Bogan 1998). Shell colour ranges from light yellow to dark brown on the outside, with white or purple on the inside. (Parmalee and Bogan 1998; Qiu et al. 2001). Adults generally live for three years but can live for up to seven years (Aldridge and McMahon 1978; Hall 1984).

Corbicula fluminea is native to Southeast China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Southeast Russia and the Ussuri Basin (Aguirre and Poss 1999). Asian clams can significantly impact on aquatic systems, primarily through habitat change and outcompeting native species for resources (Pimentel et al. 2005; Karatayev et al. 2007).

The invasive success of C. fluminea has been linked to features such as early sexual maturity, rapid growth, high fecundity, short life span, high survival capabilities, extensive dispersal capacities and colonisation of a wide range of habitat types (Sousa et al. 2008; Morton 1997).