Hydrobiidae on North Uist

Abstract

• One of the problems of working on lochs that are slightly saline is a group of tiny (1-4mm) molluscs called mudsnails (Hydrobiidae). The rarest of these, Hydrobia acuta neglecta, was first identified in the UK in the Uists. This project aimed to eliminate any doubt about the identity. Genetic analyses funded by SNH and conducted by scientists at the National Museum of Scotland and Heriot-Watt University confirmed that there were healthy populations of this snail in three lochs in North Uist.