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Mississippi National River and Recreation AreaA blue heron wades along one of the shallow lakes of the Mississippi River corridor.
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Mississippi National River and Recreation Area
Mapleleaf
(Quadrula quadrula) Rafinesque, 1820
A Mapleleaf Mussel
K.S. Cummings, Illinois Natural History Survey
Other Common Names:
Stranger.
Habitat:
Medium to large rivers and reservoirs with a mud, sand, or gravel bottom.
Length:
Up to 4 inches (10.2 cm).
Outer Shell Color:
Varies. For young mussels, the color may be yellowish-green or green with faded rays. Older mussels have no markings, and may be greenish-brown, light brown, or dark brown.
Inner Shell Color:
Pearly white, with some iridescent coloring on one end.
Shell Thickness:
Thick.
Shell Outline:
An outline of the entire shell varies in shape: from almost round to nearly, but not perfectly square (imagine a square blown up, like a balloon).
Shell Surface:
There are two ridges on the outer shell surface, which are made up of many pimple-like bumps. These ridges run from the point where the two shell halves meet to the opposite shell edge. The area between the two ridges is smooth (no pimple-like bumps), and looks slightly pressed-in it looks similar to the pressed-in mark the length of your finger would make on wet clay).
Scientific Description:
Highly variable shell color, adults brownish, juveniles greenish or yellowish. A V-shaped pattern (or sculpture) of tubercles begins at the shell beak and radiates in two rows down the disc separated by a sulcus.
Similar Looking Mussels:
Host Fish:
Flathead catfish.
Distribution:
Widespread and common.
Minnesota State Listing:
None.
Federal Listing:
None.
Mussels, One being in a person's hand  

Did You Know?
Under the right conditions, certain freshwater mussel species live for as many as 10 to 100 years. This lifespan is one of the longest for any creature on earth.

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Last Updated: September 20, 2006 at 13:01 EST