Australasia Region

Australasian SubregionsThe Australasian Region includes Australia, New Guinea and New Zealand. Only 31 species (10 genera) of freshwater mussels 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).

Australaasia also includes Oceania, but there are no freshwater mussels native to Oceania.

Freshwater mussels of the Subregions

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*