Limnoperna fortunei, popularly know as the Golden Mussel, is a medium-sized fresh water bivalve mollusc in the Mytilidae family. Its original geographical range was restricted to southeast asia, principally in China. Since then it has been encountered in as an invasive species starting in 1966 in Hong Kong, then Japan and South America in 1991. The Golden Mussel, as an invasive species, causes economic and ecological impact. The environmental impacts of the Golden Mussel are related principally to uncontrolled growth of population, altering the environmental equillibrium. The economic impact is related to the enormous capacity to reproduce and its sticking power leading to clogging of refridgeration systems in hydroelectric plants which generates high costs in maintanence and down time.
