The ark clam Anadara kagoshimensis is originally found in the western Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. This shell was introduced to the Mediterranean Sea in the late 1960s, presumably via shipping, after which the species quickly spread further (naturally, through fishing, and aquaculture) and is now listed among the hundred most invasive species in the Mediterranean region. In 2003, the shell was first observed in Brittany (France) and in 2022, it was also found in the Dutch Eastern Scheldt. To date, no specimens of this arc clam have been found in Belgium. |