Faszination Malakologie

Fascination malacology – aquatic molluscs in the city of Salzburg

The present contribution is dedicated to the malacological mapping of the urban area of Salzburg. For the evaluation of the aquatic mollusc species occurring within the city boundaries, numerous sample locations were investigated and standard procedures of animal collection were applied. In total, the city of Salzburg is currently colonized by 24 species of freshwater gastropods and 14 species of bivalves, which corresponds to about 55 per cent of all aquatic mollusc species documented in Austria so far. In natural biotopes, which can be found in the north and south of the urban area, life communities including up to 20 mollusc species can be observed, whereas waters characterized by high anthropogenic influence exhibit a remarkable pauperization of species. Generally, malacological research in the urban area is still at the beginning of its development.