Conservation of the endangered freshwater mussel Solenaia carinata (Bivalvia, Unionidae) in China

Despite the diversity and economic and ecological value of freshwater mussels, relatively little is known about their biology (especially for species outside of Europe and North America). Solenaia carinata is an endangered freshwater mussel, is endemic to China and is now only distributed in Poyang Lake basin. However, its conservation status is not clear. Thus, for this study, surveys were conducted at 41 sites along the lower reaches of the Ganjiang River to study the conservation status of S. carinatus. The results showed that S. carinata had a restricted distribution and extremely low density. In addition, the habitat sediments where S. carinata was located were mainly composed of silt (particle size