— NOTE — Asiatic Clam, Corbicula fluminea, in Northwestern Patago! (Argentina) ABSTRACT. ‘The invasive Asiatic clam, Corbicula fluminea (Miller, 1778), is reported from the Negro River, at Chimpay, in the Patagonian shrubland. The invasion seems to have occurred in 1997-1998, as revealed by its absence in the field assessments made up to January 1997 and the presence of a layer of Corbicula empty shells in the dry sand banks left by the flood of the river in winter 1998, When the introduced Asiatic clams were found in the Colorado River (Argentina), this location was deemed to be on the southernmost latitude the species could reach due to cold constraint (Cazzaniga 1997). This statement left open the possibility that the clams colonized the Patagonian zoogeographical realm (Ringuelet 1961) to the West, on the upper part of the Negro River. This proved to be true with the finding of Corbicula fluminea (Miller, 1778) at Chimpay (Rio Negro Province, 39° 10” S - 66° 10” W), where it probably entered during 1997. One of us (CP) regularly does field work in the Chimpay area during summers (except 1998). No live Asiatic clams were observed there until January 14, 1999, when the first samples were found. It is worth noting that in January 1997 the Negro River was canoed from Chimpay to Viedma (a distance of about 550 km), and nearly every 25 to 50 km a survey was made by digging the coastal sand and by skin-diving. Although many samples were obtained, no Corbicula fluminea was found in that campaign. Notwithstanding, a flood in July 1998 (winter) left some sand banks with an abundance of Corbicula fluminea shells; thus a dense population of the Asiatic clam had developed there, probably during the summertime of 1997-1998 (December-March). At present, populations of Asiatic clams are quite abundant in two small streams flowing to the Negro River, 5 km from each other, near the town of Chimpay. Clams were also collected in the Negro River itself, in a public bath site 6 km to the east of Chimpay. Since this part of the river is not navigable, the clam was not introduced accidentally via water ballast (Ituarte 1994) but more likely was introduced by the fishermen who used the clam as bait. Voucher specimens from Chimpay were deposited at Museo de La Plata (Argentina) (25 alcohol preserved clams; collection number 5430). ‘Their measures are summarized in Table 1. 551 Jour o Freshwater Ecology, Voume 14, Number 4-Dscember 1999 ee‘Table 1. Measurements of the voucher specimens of Corbicula fluminea from Chimpay (Argentina N=25 | Length Height Width —Length/ Length (mm (mm) (mm) Height Width Mean yaa e508 10,75) 1.16 1,62 Standard dev. | 1.90 1.99 1.37 0.04 0.04 Maximum. 2155 1935 14.15 1.29 174 Minimum 13.50__11.35 8.40 1.10 1.52 LITERATURE CITED Cazzaniga, N. J. 1997. Asiatic clam, Corbicula fluminea, reaching Patagonia (Argentina). Journal of Freshwater Ecology 12 (4):629-630. Ituarte, C. 1994. Corbicula and Neocorbicula (Bivalvia: Corbiculidae) in the Parand, Uruguay, and Rio de la Plata Basins. Nautilus 107 (4):129- 135. Ringuelet, R. A. 1961. Rasgos fundamentales de la zoogeografia de la Argentina. Physis 22:151-170. Néstor J. Cazzaniga and Cristian Pérez ‘Universidad Nacional del Sur Departamento de Biologia, Bioquimica y Farmacia 18000 Bahia Blanca, Argentina 552 Recoive: 6 May 1999 Accopies 27 September 1990 Oo