Three rare and endangered mussel species discovered in the heart of Paris

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/environment/article/2025/01/30/three-rare-and-endangered-mussel-species-discovered-in-the-heart-of-paris_6737578_114.html

by LeMonde_en

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  1. **The presence of the thick-shelled river mussel, the Ptomida litoralis and the compressed river mussel confirms the Seine’s improved water quality thanks to efforts made over the last decades.**

    The improvement in the Seine’s water quality does not only benefit the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, who enjoyed a dip in the river in July 2024, nor the athletes of the Olympic and Paralympic Games: Three species of rare and endangered mussels have just been discovered right in the heart of the capital, confirming the progress made in protecting the environment.

    As part of a study on the impact of urban lighting on biodiversity carried out by the research consultant Office de Génie Ecologique (OGE), environmental DNA (eDNA) samples were collected near the Ile de la Cité and Ile Saint-Louis in the center of Paris during the summer of 2024. The results, announced at the end of January by the Spygen laboratory, revealed the presence of the thick-shelled river mussel, the river mussel and the compressed mussel in the river, right in the heart of the capital. Included on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list of endangered species, they are particularly sensitive to the effects of pollution.

    The compressed river mussel has disappeared from almost all French territory, except for the northeastern quarter. “It is truly surprising to find it in an environment as anthropized as Paris,” said Vincent Prié, a mollusk specialist and project director at the SPYGEN laboratory. “We thought there were only two populations left, near Troyes and in the Oise River.”

    **Read the full article here:** [**https://www.lemonde.fr/en/environment/article/2025/01/30/three-rare-and-endangered-mussel-species-discovered-in-the-heart-of-paris_6737578_114.html**](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/environment/article/2025/01/30/three-rare-and-endangered-mussel-species-discovered-in-the-heart-of-paris_6737578_114.html)

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