Floodplain mussel

Velesunio ambiguus, the floodplain mussel, or the billabong mussel (South Australia), is a species of freshwater bivalve in the family Hyriidae.

There are four other cryptic species in the genus Velesunio (which all look similar to Velesunio ambiguus) in Australia.

Distribution
Australia: Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, where it is known as the billabong mussel.

Biotope
Static waters.

Life cycle
The lifespan of this mussel is over 20 years.

It can survive temperatures from around 4 °C to over 30 °C.

Human uses
Velesunio ambiguus serves as a food for Australian Aboriginal people, although its flesh is tough.

This species can also be used in fish ponds to filter microscopic algae out of the water.