D. Massemin, S. Clavier & J.-P. Pointier 
Novapex 12(3-4): 109-118, 10 octobre 2011 
First record of Pisidium punctiferum (Guppy, 1867) and Eupera viridans 
(Prime, 1865) (Mollusca: Sphaeriidae) from French Guiana 
David MASSEMIN 
Angle des rues Du Four et Des Remparts / 34380 Notre-Dame de Londres, France 
yoda.massemin@hotmail.fr yoda.massemin@wanadoo.fr 
Simon CLAVIER 
HYDRECO, Laboratoire Environnement de Petit Saut / B.P 823 / 97388 Kourou cedex, Guyane, 
France 
simon.clavier@hydrecolab.com 
Jean-Pierre POINTIER 
USR 3278 CNRS-EPHE CRIOBE, Université de Perpignan / 66860 Perpignan cedex, France 
pointier@univ-perp.fr 
KEYWORDS. French Guiana, continental Bivalvia, Pisidium punctiferum, Eupera viridans, 
identification key. 
MOTS CLÉS. Guyane, bivalves continentaux, Pisidium punctiferum, Eupera viridans, clé 
d’identification. 
ABSTRACT. Two freshwater Bivalvia species identified as Pisidium punctiferum (Guppy, 1867) 
and Eupera viridans (Prime, 1865) were collected at severai places from French Guiana. Those 
new records bring the number of freshwater-molluscs species from this French overseas territory 
to 27 and extend the distribution area of the mentioned species to the Guiana Shield. An 
identification key to continental Bivalvia from French Guiana is theretore provided. 
RESUME. A l'occasion d'une étude hydrobiologique, Pisidium punctiferum (Guppy, 1867) et 
Eupera viridans (Prime, 1865) ont été collectés en Guyane. Ces deux bivalves, nouveaux pour 
l’inventaire, portent à 27 le nombre de mollusques dulcicoles connus de ce territoire ; leur aire de 
distribution naturelle est étendue en direction du Plateau des Guyanes. Une clé d identification des 
bivalves continentaux de Guyane est proposée. 
INTRODUCTION 
The Guiana Shield is an old Precambrian 
geological formation of more than 1,600 km long, 
located in the north-eastern part of South America, 
including Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and a 
part of Brazil (Amazonas, Roraima, Para and Amapâ 
States, west of the Amazona River). French Guiana 
(2°- 6° North latitude) stretches over almost 84,000 
square kilométrés (Figure 1); it is a hot spot of 
biodiversity because 80% of the territory is covered by 
a tropical rain forest. considered as one of the 15 last 
worldwide remaining clumps only partially affected 
by human activities (Gargominy, 2003 & Hammond, 
2005). An abundant and complex hydrographical 
System feeds this territory where acids and poorly 
mineralized waters are unfavourable habitats to 
freshwater molluscs. 
The difficulty to reach the upstream areas explains 
why this group was so poorly studied despite of some 
conséquent but old works (Drouet, 1859 & Tillier, 
1980), until the recent publication of a molluscs 
identification guide (Massemin et al., 2009) in which 
24 species of freshwater molluscs are listed. 
Nevertheless, thanks to hydrobiological investigations 
carried out in French Guiana under the auspices of the 
Water Framework Directive and EDF, one species 
was recently added to that list (Clavier et al, 2010). 
The aim of the présent article is to report for the First 
finie the presence of two freshwater Bivalvia species 
in French Guiana (Figure 2). This discovery carries 
the number of freshwater molluscs species known 
from French Guiana to 27 (Gastropoda & Bivalvia), 
belonging to 7 families; it gives the opportunity to the 
authors to présent a general illustrated identification 
key of the known species of continental Bivalvia 
inhabiting this territory (Figure 3; appendix 1 ). 
Material and Methods 
In order to assess the benthic French Guiana 
macroinvertebrate fauna [following the définition of 
Rosenberg and Resh (1993), the term “benthic” nieans 
“bottom-living” and the prefix “macro” indicates that 
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