ABSTRACT
The man-induced spread of species within the family Dreissenidae in eastern Europe has a long, well-documented history (Andrusov 1897, Marelli and Gray 1985, Nuttall 1990, Starobogatov and Andreeva 1994, Therriault and Orlova 2010). Of the many taxa within this family, perhaps
Marina I. Orlova
CONTENTS
Abstract .................................................................................................................................................................................. 93 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................ 93 Origins of Dreissenidae and D. r. bugensis ........................................................................................................................... 94 General Spread (Dreissenidae) .............................................................................................................................................. 95
Eastern Invasion Corridor ................................................................................................................................................. 97 Quagga Mussels versus Zebra Mussels .................................................................................................................................. 97 Comparative Size Structure: Quagga Mussels and Zebra Mussels ....................................................................................... 99 Summary .............................................................................................................................................................................. 100 References ............................................................................................................................................................................ 100
the most successful invaders, and presently the two taxa with the widest distribution, are Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas 1771) (zebra mussel) and Dreissena rostriformis bugensis (Andrusov 1897) (quagga mussel). Both of these taxa have remarkable, yet very different invasion histories, particularly in eastern Europe. The zebra mussel has an extensive history of spread dating back to the eighteenth century (Nowak 1971, Kinzelbach 1992, bij de Vaate et al. 2002, 2013). Although the spread of zebra mussels through Europe likely occurred naturally since the late-Holocene period. (Starobogatov and Andreevea 1994), the rate of dispersal increased greatly since the establishment of interbasin connections (canals) in Europe over the past 200 years (e.g., Andrusov 1897, Nowak 1971, Kinzelbach 1992, Minchin et al. 2002). In contrast, distributions of the quagga mussel remained relatively restricted until the mid-1990s, despite having access to the same invasion corridors as the zebra mussel.
