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Page last updated
Wed 1 October 2025

The Freshwater Mussels (Unionoida) of the World (and other less consequential bivalves)

FM(U)otW(aolcb) is the web version of the MUSSEL Project Database. Follow the links to browse the data or use the custom Google search field. Either way, you win!

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Australasia

Australasian Subregions The Australasian Region includes Australia, New Guinea and New Zealand. Only 31 species (10 genera) are currently recognized in the region in two families: Hyriidae and Unionidae.

We divide the Australasian Region into four subregions that largely correspond to areas of freshwater mussel endemism. The Eastern Subregion (AU1; 4 gen., 14 spp., 11 endemic) includes much of the eastern half of Australia (including Tasmania); the Western Subregion (AU2; 3 gen., 7 spp., 5 endemic) is the western half of that continent. New Guinea (AU3; 7 gen., 11 spp., 9 endemic) has a somewhat diverse freshwater mussel fauna (especially considering the amount of suitable habitat), but that assemblage is poorly understood. The subregion includes Misool and the Solomons islands. Finally, there is New Zealand (AU4; 1 gen., 3 spp., 3 endemic).

Endemic species are marked with an asterisk (*).

Eastern (AU1)
  1. Alathyria condola*
  2. Alathyria jacksoni*
  3. Alathyria pertexta
  4. Alathyria profuga*
  5. Cucumerunio novaehollandiae*
  6. Hyridella australis*
  7. Hyridella depressa*
  1. Hyridella drapeta*
  2. Hyridella glenelgensis*
  3. Hyridella narracanensis*
  4. Velesunio ambiguus*
  5. Velesunio angasi
  6. Velesunio moretonicus*
  7. Velesunio wilsonii
Western (AU2)
  1. Lortiella froggatti*
  2. Lortiella opertanea*
  3. Lortiella rugata*
  4. Velesunio angasi
  1. Velesunio wilsonii
  2. Westralunio carteri*
  3. Westralunio inbisi*
New Guinea (AU3)
  1. Alathyria pertexta
  2. Haasodonta fannyae*
  3. Haasodonta vanheurni*
  4. Hyridella guppyi*
  5. Hyridella misoolensis*
  6. Microdontia anodontaeformis*
  1. Velesunio sentaniensis*
  2. Velesunio wilsonii
  3. Virgus beccarianus*
  4. Westralunio albertisi*
  5. Westralunio flyensis*
New Zealand (AU4)
  1. Echyridella aucklandica*
  2. Echyridella menziesii*
  1. Echyridella onekaka*
 
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