The continuing expansion of Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834) (Bivalvia: unionidae) in Poland and Europe

The mussel Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834), which is an alien species to European malacofauna, was introduced in Europe in the early 1960s (Romania, Hungary) from Asia along with stocking material of herbivorous fishes. Subsequently, the species expanded to Austria, France, Yugoslavia, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Germany. For over a dozen years, the only site in Poland where this mussel was documented was the heated lake system near Konin. In 2003, Sinanodonta woodiana was found in the warm water canal of the Szczecin power plant, and from 2002 to 2006 it was observed in basins with natural thermal regime, including fish ponds in Great Poland and the Warta-Gop³o Canal near Konin. In recent years, the species has also been recorded from the eastern and southern European countries through which the Danube River flows.