Compiled Checklist of Aquatic Invertebrates of the Southern Marshes of Iraq

Jawad, Laith A.

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-66238-7_14

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

References 40 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Five native and one invasive freshwater mussel species have been recorded from Iraq (Alwanzadegan et al, 2023; Bogan et al, 2021). In a comprehensive book entitled Southern Iraq's marshes: their environment and conservation , Jawad (2021) listed one more species, Gonidea angulata (Unionidae), as a member of the regional fauna (Appendix ). However, this species is native to western North America and is known to occur in rivers and lakes from California to British Columbia (Graf & Cummings, 2021).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hence, this record is here considered as a misidentification of a native species, Leguminaia wheatleyi (Bogan et al, 2021), the general shell appearance of which looks rather similar to that of G. angulata . In addition, Jawad (2021) in their checklist erroneously placed Anodonta vescoiana in the Neotropical family Mycetopodidae, whereas this species belongs to the Unionidae (Bogan et al, 2021; Graf & Cummings, 2021).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

An alarming tendency towards freshwater mussel misidentification in scientific works may bias endangered and invasive species management

Bolotov,

Konopleva,

Vikhrev

et al. 2024

Aquatic Conservation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Freshwater mussels (order Unionida) are a popular group for a wide array of non‐taxonomic research driven by questions related to their functions in ecosystems, to relationships among species, to biogeochemical and morphometric patterns of certain species and others. Valid taxonomy and correct species identification are key requirements for all of these aspects. However, species‐level identification of representatives from this group is a rather complicated task and should be based on an integrative approach, combining DNA sequences, morphological and anatomical investigation and biogeographical estimates. This article reconsiders a selection of non‐taxonomic scientific works (N = 25), containing misidentified occurrences of freshwater mussel species. The dataset contains records of the endangered Margaritifera margaritifera (endemic to eastern North America and Europe) from the Philippines and West Africa, as well as occurrences of the Nearctic Gonidea angulata from West Africa and the Middle East. Several Palearctic and Nearctic unionid species were erroneously reported from the Indus River, Pakistan. Subfossil shells of the native Simpsonella sp. from a prehistoric site in the Philippines were misidentified as the invasive Sinanodonta woodiana that was introduced to the islands in the 20th century. Samples of the tropical lineage of S. woodiana from Indonesia were mistaken for the native Pilsbryoconcha exilis, and vice versa. Salinity tolerance and morphometric characteristics of the estuarine clam Geloina sp. (Cyrenidae) from Sumatra were examined, but these data were published as belonging to the strictly freshwater S. woodiana. It is clear that this information, being reused by researchers, conservationists and stakeholders, will lead to incorrect conclusions on the range, status, biogeochemistry, morphometry and ecological tolerance of certain freshwater mussel taxa, including invasive and endangered species (the so‐called ‘error cascades’ in biological sciences caused by ‘bad taxonomy’). To reduce the growing body of literature containing misidentifications of the Unionida taxa, practical recommendations are proposed for researchers, who include freshwater mussels in non‐taxonomic surveys, as well as for journal editors dealing with articles that focus on these animals.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%