Description: A thin, fragile shell with broad and flattened with umbos near the mid point. Surface silky with fine, concentric striation. Very rare as a relic of colder climatic periods in deep, cold, upland lakes. 2.2-2.8 mm.

World Distribution: Widely distributed in the far north of both the Palaearctic and Nearctic regions. Distribution type: Circumpolar Boreo-arctic montane (26).

Irish Distribution: Recorded only from Brandon Mountain, Kerry, Lough Barra in Donegal and Lough Aquire in Fermanagh. The only recent record is for a loughan on Brandon Mountain (Moorkens, 2005).

Ecology:

• Confined to cold mountain lakes above 300m asl
• Lives in fine muddy sediments with the shoreweed, Littorella uniflora, on the margins of a loughan on Mount Brandon

Key Identification Features:

• A small, thin, laterally compressed shell
• Almost oval in shape
• With flattened umbos near the mid-point
• Colour yellowish-white
• Periostracum slightly silky/glossy

Red list status:

• Critically endangered (CR).

Distribution Map from NBN: Euglesa conventus at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Euglesa conventus at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

GBIF data for Euglesa conventus | Classification: Bivalvia, Sphaeriida, Sphaeriidae, Euglesa

Thumbnails for genus Euglesa