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National Invasive Species Information Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Golden Mussel

Scientific Name

Limnoperna fortunei (Dunker, 1857) (CABI)

Common Name

Golden mussel

Native To

China and Southeastern Asia

Date of U.S. Introduction

First observed in U.S. waters in October 2024, with initial detections reported in the California Delta (NAS Database)

Means of Introduction

Likely introduced to California by a ship traveling from an international port (Golden Mussel Response Framework)

Impact

Threatens native biodiversity, suffocates and starves out native bivalves and produce macrofouling in water systems (Global Invasive Species Database 2005)

Golden mussel
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Golden mussel

Credit

Photo by Gustavo A. Darrigran; Professor of National University of La Plata, Argentina

Source
USGS, NAS Database

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Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

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Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source.

Council or Task Force
Partnership
Federal Government
State and Local Government
Academic
Professional
Citations