is there such a thing as a freshwater clam

[the naturelover]

Hi. spotted this today whilst taking pictures of tadpoles in a natural wild freshwater pond. I would call it a clam if it were in the sea. top and bottom shells are exactly the same in shape,size,and markings. Can anyone please confirm/name it for me please.

looking down

front view.
regards tn

[werdnal]

I'm not sure whether there are native British Freshwater clams, but they are widely available in the pet trade for freshwater aquariums. I wonder if - like terrapins etc - these are discarded pets?

[The Woodman]

I'm pretty sure what you have is a freshwater Pea Cockle or Orb Mussel., sometimes Pea Mussel (never an Orb Cockle!) just to confuse!

It is probably Sphaerium rivicola but size is hard to judge without scale and there are several similar species. Also, shell colouration varies greatly with staining from mineral content in the substrate and algal growth. Aging is very difficult with recourse to specialist knowledge.

Your picture also shows sand, presuming this is what you found the bivalve living in, it could be an imported European species such as Sphaerium solidum.

To get a definitive ID I suggest you contact your local Environment Agency Ecological Appraisal Team (EAT) who might be interested.

[the naturelover]

Thanks for taking the time to help. As i returned it to the pond after taking the photo's. full id is probably impossible however, it was on sand/fine gravel and about half an inch long. so you're suggestion seems to fit.
regards tn.