Air Exposure as a Control Mechanism for the Golden Mussel, <i>Limnoperna fortunei</i>, (Bivalvia: Mytilidae)

We examined the response of the invasive freshwater bivalve Limnoperna fortunei to air exposure under different conditions of relative humidity, at 25.00 ± 0,4°C. Survival of L. fortunei increased with relative humidity. Specimens exposed to air without humidity control (49 to 63% relative humidity) did not survive more than 120 hours, while those held in an elevated humidity environment survived up to 168 hours. Smaller mussels reached 100% mortality before larger ones. Consequently, in industrial systems colonized by L. fortunei, the periodic elimination of water for less than six days will not be an effective control mechanism.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y MuseoInstituto de Limnología "Dr. Raúl A. Ringuelet