Physella acuta is an aquatic snail notorious for its high invasive potential. Of New World origin, this species now occurs on all the continents. The aim of this study was to trace P.acuta dispersal through the Western Palearctic starting from its first arrival in the Old World and to determine possible drivers of this process. A range of literary sources as well as some rich European malacological collections have been consulted to ascertain the dates of the first finding of P.acuta in the countries of Europe and to map the most significant localities. The earliest reliable records of P.acuta in the Old World can be dated to 1742, which implies an earlier date for the first arrival of the species in Europe, possibly in the 17th century. Its introduction may be explained either by accidental dispersal mediated by humans (for example, during transport of exotic plants to European botanical gardens) or by natural causes (longdistance dispersal across the Atlantic ocean). The species' current Old World range can be viewed as a result of the interaction of natural and anthropogenic factors. The human-mediated drivers of dispersal include canal building and the aquarium trade.