Charru mussel

IN NEWS:

• An invasive mussel is spreading quickly in the backwaters of Kerala.

ABOUT THE SPECIES:

• The Charru mussel is a native to the South and Central American coasts.
• Externally, they resemble the green and brown mussels (kallummekka in Malayalam), but is much smaller in size. Its colour varies from black to brown, purple or dark green.
• They are elbowing out other mussel and clam species such as the Asian green mussel and edible oyster species. Ashtamudi Lake, a Ramsar site in Kollam district, remains the worst-hit.
• In all probability, the mussel reached the Indian shores attached to ship hulls or as larval forms in ballast water discharges.
• They are threatening the livelihoods of fishermen engaged in molluscan fisheries.

PRELIMS QUESTION:

Q. ‘Charru mussel’, seen in recent news is associated with which of the following:

1. New species discovered in the Andaman Islands
2. Invasive alien species in Kerala
3. Product with GI tag from Assam
4. Minor forest product from Madhya Pradesh

Answer to Prelims question

Source: The Hindu