Population structure,shell morphology,age and condition of the freshwater mussel Hyridella menziesi (Unionacea: Hyriidae) from seven lake and river sites in the Waikato River system

Populations of the freshwater mussel Hyridella menziesi were compared from six lakes and one river site along the Waikato River system, North Island, New Zealand. Estimated densities ranged from several hundred per square metre in Lake Taupo to less than one per square metre in Lake Karapiro. Length-frequencies were similar at all sites, with unimodal distributions and a notable absence of any individuals less than 20 mm long. The extent of shell erosion varied from sites where most mussels had less than 1% of the right valve affected (i.e., Ohakuri & Karapiro), to Lake Aratiatia where most shells had erosion over 1–20% of their surface. Taupo and Ohakuri mussels showed an unusually high incidence (over 50%) of internal shell abnormalities (including dulling, deformities and protuberances). Canonical discrimination based on shell length, height, width and weight clearly separated Taupo and Ohakuri mussels from all other sites, and ANCOVA on morphological characteristics confirmed significant differences between sites. Physical condition indices (based on dry flesh weight per shell weight and shell volume) showed an increasing downstream trend, but this was not significantly correlated with food availability (i.e., chlorophyll a concentration) because of unexpectedly low condition in lakes Ohakuri and Karapiro. Length v. age relationships contained considerable scatter and did not show between-site differences. Measured differences in external erosion, internal shell abnormalities and morphology were attributed to physical, chemical and biological factors. Use of mussels for environmental monitoring must take these background differences into account.