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Abstract
We recorded, for the first time, byssal hairs in the Asian freshwater bivalve Limnoperna fortunei from the Paraná River system. We analysed the presence of hairs and their distribution on the shell in relation to habitat and shell size in 12 sites. Hairs were present in lentic habitats associated with macrophytes or organic matter, but were absent in lotic environments. The proportion of mussels with hairs was negatively correlated with current velocity. Hairs were more frequent and abundant in larger mussels. In general, the hairs are a similar length over the bivalve and almost entirely cover the shells in≥60% in lentic habitats. The projections allow L. fortunei to be camouflaged among the roots of macrophytes or coarse organic matter, assisting in avoiding visual predators. The clear-cut separation of L. fortunei populations into two different groups could be associated with phenotypic plasticity in this species.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by Proyecto de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica N° 1965 (Fondo para la Investigación Científica y Tecnológica) and Proyecto de Investigación Plurianuales-Concejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas N° 132. The authors are grateful to the anonymous reviewers, Winston F. Ponder (Molluscan Research editor), Susana José de Paggi, Juan César Paggi, and Mercedes Marchese for the critical reading of this article and their valuable suggestions which contributed to improve the manuscript. They are also grateful to Mario Amsler and Martin Blettler for their assistance. Thanks are also due to Esteban Creus, Eduardo Lordi, Cristian De Bonis, and Eloísa Sekman for providing L. fortunei material. The English language used in the manuscript was reviewed by a language consultant.