ABSTRACT
Some species of freshwater gastropods, known for their adaptability and resilience, have gained attention globally as invasive species. However, to date, only one invasive population of freshwater snails has been documented beyond the Arctic Circle. In this study, we report the discovery of two non-indigenous species, Planorbella duryi (Wetherby, 1879) and Physella acuta (Draparnaud, 1805), north of 69°N in the Norilsk Industrial District (Central Siberia). Their identification was based on morphological features and COI gene sequences. Both species are native to the temperate and subtropical zones of North America and may have entered the Arctic Asian reservoirs through aquarium introductions. The distribution of these populations is constrained to areas affected by thermal pollution, and their further spread into pristine reservoirs of Northern Siberia is unlikely.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Data availability statement
The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article and its supplementary materials. The R-Script for processing, aligning and filtering DNA sequences is available at https://github.com/anisus3/Phylogeny (accessed 1 April 2023).