Bad taxonomy and poor detectability has hindered Italian Unio conservation. The case of Unio elongatulus and Unio mancus, what is their real conservation status?

Freshwater Unionids are declining more rapidly than most other taxa due to life-history characteristics that make them more sensitive to human and natural disturbances and that reduce their ability to recover (e.g., a complex life cycle, an obligate parasitic larval stage on a suitable fish host, and a limited mobility; Strayer et al., 2004). The alarm over this declining trend, stemming from Unionidae extinctions in North America, also extends to European species (Lopes-Lima et al., 2017). In Europe, the situation is exacerbated by the lack of adequate legislation for the protection of most species (e.g., Mammola et al. 2020).