Relationship between the age of freshwater pearl mussel and the number of increments in shell section

The aim of this thesis was to determine the relationship between the age of dead individuals of the freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) and the number of incremental lines on the shell section. A total of 124 pearl mussel shells of known age were collected from several Czech, German and Finnish localities. There was a statistically significant difference between the actual age and the age according to the number of incremental lines on shell section. On average, the age determined by increment lines was higher than the actual age by 2.6 years, which is 42 ? 25% (? S.D.). Thus, the increment lines on the section of the pearl mussel shell do not correspond to the annual increments. It was confirmed that increment lines count on the shell surface or estimating age from shell size are less reliable approaches to determine the true age of individuals.