Over the past decade, the Asian freshwater bivalve
mollusk Limnoperna fortunei has invaded South
American waters, where its fouling has made it a
major nuisance for industrial and power plants, as well
as the drinking water industry. Given the rising trend
in worldwide shipping traffic, a future North American
invasion by the pest mussel organism is probable.
Because of L. fortunei's economic threat, adequate
control measures must be developed.
This investigation examined L. fortunei's susceptibility
to chlorine and three nonoxidizing molluscicides
proven to be effective in controlling the zebra mussel
Dreissena polymorpha. In general terms, two of the
molluscicides were either ineffective or marginally
effective at the concentrations recommended for the
zebra mussel, especially at lower temperatures. The
third molluscicide was the most toxic of the
compounds tested; concentrations of >/=1 mg/L yielded
>50% mortalities at all temperatures. At 15 and 20 degrees C,
chlorine at 5 mg/L resulted in total kills after three to
six weeks of exposure. At 25 degrees C, it was effective at all
concentrations (1-100 mg/L), achieving 100% mortalities
in 11-17 days. Temperature substantially enhanced
the toxicity of all the chemicals tested, particularly
chlorine.
The authors concluded that the commercial formulations
widely used to control the North American
invading pest D. polymorpha are ineffective for L.
fortunei. Furthermore, in contrast to Dreissena, which
spawns over a two- to three-month period,
Limnoperna has a long period of active reproduction,
a fact that will further complicate its control. These
findings indicate that direct extrapolation from the
ample experience gained in dealing with the zebra
mussel will be of limited value in meeting the challenge
of L. fortunei. Includes 55 references, tables, figures.
| Edition : | Vol. 95 - No. 1 |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 330 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 13 |
| Published : | 01/01/2003 |
