About Unio pictorum (Linnaeus, 1758)
Unio pictorum (Linnaeus, 1758), commonly known as the painter's mussel, is a medium-sized species of freshwater mussel. It is an aquatic bivalve mollusk that belongs to the family Unionidae, the group commonly called river mussels. This species gets its common name from its historical use: its shells were a convenient size and shape to use as receptacles for holding artist's paint. The extinct subspecies of Unio pictorum are: † Unio pictorum alexeevi Mangikian, 1929, † Unio pictorum pseudorumanus Chepalyga, 1967, and † Unio pictorum rumanoides Chepalyga, 1967. The native distribution of this species covers Europe and Siberia, Russia. Specific regional conservation statuses are as follows: in Croatia, it occurs; in the Czech Republic, it is found in both Bohemia and Moravia, it is categorized as least concern (LC) globally for the region, but is listed as a Critically Threatened species under the Czech implementing decrees No. 395/1992 Sb. and No. 175/2006 Sb.; in Slovakia, it is not included on national red lists; in Estonia, it is a frequent species; in Germany, it is classified as endangered (gefährdet), and is listed as a specially protected species in annex 1 of the Bundesartenschutzverordnung; in the Netherlands, it is common (algemeen); it occurs in Serbia; it occurs in Russia; in Sweden, it is not very common, with scattered occurrence; in the British Isles, it is found mostly in England. This species inhabits standing water bodies and slower-flowing streams.
