Threatened and Endangered Mussels
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Winged
mapleleaf
Higgins' eye
pearlymussel
Fat
pocketbook
Scaleshell
Sheepnose
Spectaclecase |
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In North America, it is estimated
that 43% of the 300 species of freshwater mussels are in danger
of extinction.
Further, the current extinction rate (percent
loss per decade) for freshwater mussels is 1.2% and is estimated
to be 6.4% in the future. These rates fall within the range
of estimates for tropical rainforest communities (1-8% loss per
decade). Historically, the Midwest boasted the most diverse collection
of mussels in the world. But today, the States of Minnesota,
Wisconsin,
Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio list more than half
of their 78 known mussel species as endangered, threatened, or
requiring
special concern.
No other
group of animals in North America is in such grave danger
of extinction! |
Four mussel species that reside in the Upper Mississippi River
basin receive Federal
protection under the Endangered Species
Act
of 1973. They are listed as endangered species and include the winged
mapleleaf, Higgins' eye, fat
pocketbook and scaleshell.
The
sheepnose and spectaclecase are
candidate species. Numerous
other species are
listed by the States of Minnesota, Wisconsin,
Iowa, Illinois,
and Missouri.
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Table 1. Native mussel species (Order Unionoida) in the Upper Mississippi River System. Unless otherwise noted, species have been found alive in the Mississippi or Illinois Rivers since 1995 (Havlik pers. comm, Yager pers. comm.). Sources: Havlik and Sauer (2000); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (2003) |
FE = Federally Endangered
FT = Federally Threatened
FCS = Federal Candidate Species
SE = state endangered
ST = state threatened
SSC = state special concern
X = extirpated
TR = not presently in the Mississippi River, but alive in major tributaries of UMRS
^ Wisconsin and Iowa treat these two as separate species
#Possibly extirpated from UMRS
1 Year of publication for state and Federal listings |
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Common
Name |
Species |
Subfamily Cumberlandinae |
Spectaclecase |
Cumberlandia monodonta (Say, 1829) |
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FCS |
SE |
SE |
ST |
SSC |
SE |
Subfamily Ambleminae |
Threeridge |
Amblema plicata (Say, 1817) |
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Purple warty back |
Cyclonaias tuberculata (Rafinesque, 1820) |
1991 |
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ST |
ST |
ST |
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SE |
Elephantear |
Elliptio crassidens (Lamarck, 1819) |
1997 |
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ST |
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SE |
SE |
SE |
Spike |
Elliptio dilatata (Rafinesque, 1820) |
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ST |
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SSC |
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Ebony shell |
Fusconaia ebena (I. Lea, 1831) |
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ST |
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SE |
SE |
SE |
Wabash pigtoe |
Fusconaia flava (Rafinesque, 1820) |
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Washboard |
Megalonaias nervosa (Rafinesque, 1820) |
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ST |
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SSC |
Sheepnose |
Plethobasus cyphyus (Rafinesque, 1820) |
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FCS |
SE |
SE |
SE |
SE |
SE |
Round pigtoe |
Pleurobema sintoxia (Rafinesque, 1820) |
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SE |
ST |
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SSC |
Winged mapleleaf (TR) |
Quadrula fragosa (Conrad, 1835) |
1921 |
FE |
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SE |
SE |
SE |
Monkeyface |
Quadrula metanevra (Rafinesque, 1820) |
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ST |
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ST |
Wartyback |
Quadrula nodulata (Rafinesque, 1820) |
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SE |
SSC |
ST |
Pimpleback |
Quadrula p. pustulosa (I. Lea, 1831) |
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Mapleleaf |
Quadrula quadrula (Rafinesque, 1820) |
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Pistolgrip |
Tritogonia verrucosa (Rafinesque, 1820) |
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SE |
ST |
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ST |
Pondhorn (TR) |
Uniomerus tetralasmus (Say, 1831) |
1919 |
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Table 1 (continued) |
FE = Federally Endangered
FT = Federally Threatened
FCS = Federal Candidate Species
SE = state endangered
ST = state threatened
SSC = state special concern
X = extirpated
TR = not presently in the Mississippi River, but alive in major tributaries of UMRS
^ Wisconsin and Iowa treat these two as separate species
#Possibly extirpated from UMRS
1 Year of publication for state and Federal listings |
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Common
Name |
Species |
Subfamily Anodontinae |
Elktoe |
Alasmidonta marginata (Say, 1818) |
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T |
SSC |
SSC |
Slippershell mussel (TR) |
Alasmidonta viridis (Rafinesque, 1820) |
1883 |
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ST |
SE |
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ST |
Flatfloater |
Anodonta suborbiculata (Say, 1831) |
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SSC |
SSC |
Cylindrical papershell (TR) |
Anodontoides ferussacianus (Lea, 1834) |
1883 |
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ST |
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SSC |
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Rock pocketbook |
Arcidens confragosus (Say, 1829) |
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SE |
SSC |
ST |
White heelsplitter |
Lasmigona c. complanata (Barnes, 1823) |
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Creek heelsplitter |
Lasmigona compressa (I. Lea, 1829) |
1979 |
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ST |
SSC |
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Flutedshell |
Lasmigona costata (Rafinesque, 1820) |
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SSC |
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Giant floater |
Pyganodon (=Anodonta) grandis (Say, 1829) |
1982 |
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SE |
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ST |
SSC |
ST |
Salamander mussel |
Simpsonaias ambigua (Say, 1825) |
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Creeper |
Strophitus undulatus (Say, 1817) |
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ST |
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Paper pondshell |
Utterbackia (=Anodonta) imbecillis (Say, 1829) |
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Table 1 (continued) |
FE = Federally Endangered
FT = Federally Threatened
FCS = Federal Candidate Species
SE = state endangered
ST = state threatened
SSC = state special concern
X = extirpated
TR = not presently in the Mississippi River, but alive in major tributaries of UMRS
^ Wisconsin and Iowa treat these two as separate species
#Possibly extirpated from UMRS
1 Year of publication for state and Federal listings
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Common
Name |
Species |
Subfamily Lampsilinae |
Mucket |
Actinonaias ligamentina (Lamarck, 1819) |
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ST |
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Butterfly |
Ellipsaria lineolata (Rafinesque, 1820) |
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ST |
ST |
ST |
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SE |
Snuffbox (TR) |
Epioblasma triquetra (Rafinesque, 1820) |
1920 |
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SE |
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ST |
SSC |
SE |
Plain
pocketbook |
Lampsilis cardium (Rafinesque, 1820) |
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Higgins' eye |
Lampsilis higginisii ( I. Lea, 1857) |
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FE |
SE |
SE |
SE |
SE |
SE |
Fatmucket |
Lampsilis siliquoidea (Barnes, 1823) |
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^Yellow sandshell |
Lampsilis teres anodontoides (Lea, 1831) |
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SE |
SE |
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SE |
^Slough sandshell |
Lampsilis teres teres (Rafinesque, 1820) |
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SE |
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SE |
Fragile papershell |
Leptodea fragilis (Rafinesque, 1820) |
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#Scaleshell (TR) |
Leptodea leptodon (Rafinesque, 1820) |
1921 |
FE |
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SSC |
X |
Black sandshell |
Ligumia recta (Lamarck, 1819) |
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ST |
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SSC |
SSC |
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Pondmussel |
Ligumia subrostrata (Say, 1831) |
1968 |
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Threehorn wartyback |
Obliquaria reflexa (Rafinesque, 1820) |
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Hickory nut |
Obovaria olivaria (Rafinesque, 1820) |
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SSC |
SSC |
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Pink heelsplitter |
Potamilus alatus (Say, 1817) |
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#Fat pocketbook |
Potamilus capax (Green, 1832) |
1986 |
FE |
SE |
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SE |
X |
Pink papershell |
Potamilus ohiensis (Rafinesque, 1820) |
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Bleufer |
Potamilus purpuratus (Lamarck, 1819) |
1975 |
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Lilliput |
Toxolasma parvus (Barnes, 1823) |
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Fawnsfoot |
Truncilla donaciformis (I. Lea, 1828) |
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Deertoe |
Truncilla truncata (Rafinesque, 1820) |
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Ellipse (TR) |
Venustaconcha ellipsiformis (Conrad, 1836) |
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ST |
ST |
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ST |
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