<h2>Short Neck Clam</h2>The short-neck clam Mesodesma indicum Lamarck, 1818 is a commercially valuable bivalve mollusc of the brackishwater Ashtamudi Lake in Kerala. It has been exploited indiscriminately and heavily by local fishermen for many years. The size composition of M. indicum population from various locations in this lake was studied by collecting samples twice a day at two m depth. Age-determination of M. indicum was undertaken by examination of mantle margin, shell thickness, and the growth lines in the shells obtained from both natural and cultured populations.The minimum legal size (MLS) for Mesodesma indicum is 225 mm long, 125 mm wide and 30 mm thick. Samples of these molluscs were examined microscopically to study the variation in shell characters between males and females, within the same length class.Recently, the Muscula genus of bivalve molluscs (Family: Veneridae) has been reported for the first time from Kerala. The brackishwater Ashtamudi Lake is an estuarine ecosystem extending to about. It contains 39 species of bivalves and gastropods. Eleven species are Terebratulidae, 6 species are Cyrenidae, 6 species are Corbiculidae, 4 species are Hiatellidae, 3 species each of the genera Dreissena and Anadara, 2 species each of the genrea Arca and Cerastoderma. Two species are the genera Solen, Muscula, Pisidium, and My sinum. Only one species was reported in the genus Galeodea, Seila, and Lucinoma.The genus M uscula is comprised of two species viz., M. galloprovincialis and M. perna . The former has a broad distribution range in the Indo-West Pacific region. Whereas the latter has a narrow distribution range in European waters, the Mediterranean Sea, and southwards along the west coast of Africa to South Africa. M. galloprovincialis is more frequently found in the soft bottoms of the coastal waters, whereas M. perna prefers hard surfaces with low salinity levels.However, recently both these species have been reported from the brackishwater Ashtamudi Lake which has a salinity level below 9 ppt, without being able to establish their exact distributional ranges.Additionally, the prevalence of M. galloprovincialis has been reported in a coastal region in south Ceylon and has been considered as a serious invasive species because it competes with the local mussel population which could bring about a fundamental change in the marine ecosystem. To corroborate the present findings, an ongoing field survey on the benthic fauna of Ashtamudi Lake is ongoing.The possible biological requirements of M. galloprovincialis and M. perna in Ashtamudi Lake are discussed with reference to their distribution patterns reported from other coastlines around the world. The economic and ecological impact of the M. galloprovincialis and M. perna on Ashtamudi Lake are also discussed.

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