Natural monument Lamprotula polysticta of Taedong River
August 27, 2026Lamprotula polysticta is a shellfish species belonging to Unionidae which is about 110mm long, 70mm high and 60mm wide.
The shell is convex, oval and very thick and hard.
The surface of the shell is yellowish brown or yellowish orange and the inside is milk white and pearly.
There are nodular or serrated processes and 10 to 13 rib-shaped processes on the shell.
There are one middle tooth and one lateral tooth at the right side of the shell and two middle and lateral teeth each at the left side.
The shellfish feeds on plankton while living in sand, mud or gravel in rivers and streams and the brooks up to 6m deep.
It matures when three years old and spawns in winter. One shellfish lays about 200 000 eggs.
Lamprotula polysticta originated in the Taedong River of the DPRK and now it can be found in Northeast China and the Russian Far East.
Large numbers of the shellfish inhabit both shores of the Taedong River in Honam-ri, Samsok District, Pyongyang.
This shellfish in the Taedong River is under protection.
THE PYONGYANG TIMES