Identifying freshwater mussels (Unionoida) and parasitic glochidia larvae from host fish gills: a molecular key to the North and Central European species

摘要: Freshwater mussels (order Unionoida) represent one of the most severely endangered groups animals due to habitat destruction, introduction nonnative species, and loss host fishes, which their larvae (glochidia) are obligate parasites on. Conservation efforts such as restoration or restocking populations currently hampered by difficulties in unionoid species identification morphological means. Here we present first complete molecular key for all seven indigenous North Central European Sinanodonta woodiana, facilitating quick, low-cost, reliable adult larval specimens. Application this restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) resulted 100% accurate assignment 90 specimens from across region digestion partial ITS-1 (where ITS is internal transcribed spacer) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products two four single digestions with five endonucleases. In addition, provide protocols quick extraction amplification mussel DNA fish gill arches. Our results indicate that new method can be applied on infection rates low three glochidia per arch enables, time, comprehensive, large-scale assessments relative importance different given populations.