First record of Sinanodonta woodiana and report for freshwater bivalves from Iraq (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Unionidae)

Abstract

The native freshwater bivalve fauna of Iraq (Unionidae) is comprised of five native species documented in the literature. Here we report the first occurrence of the widely introduced Sinanodonta woodiana and suggest it represents the temperate lineage of this species. This species has already reached a high population density where it was collected in the Hilla River, a tributary of the Euphrates River in Babylon Province, Iraq.