Epioblasma triquetra

Epioblasma triquetra, common name the snuffbox mussel, is a species of freshwater mussel, a mollusk in the family Unionidae. It is native to eastern North America, where it is a listed as an endangered species in both Canada and the United States.[1][2]

Epioblasma triquetra

Vulnerable  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Unionida
Family: Unionidae
Genus: Epioblasma
Species:
E. triquetra
Binomial name
Epioblasma triquetra
(Rafinesque, 1820)

Distribution and ecology

This species lives the Great Lakes system and Mississippi River system. Its natural habitat is riffles and shoals of rocky rivers, and the shores of lakes with wave activity. This species is declining throughout its range due to habitat destruction, siltation, pollution, and competition with invasive species.[1] Despite this, it remains the most widespread and abundant member of the genus Epioblasma, of which the other members are now either extinct or severely imperiled.[3]

Reproduction

All Unionidae are known to use the gills, fins, or skin of a host fish for nutrients during the larval glochidia stage. In 2004, it was discovered that female Epioblasma triquetra mussels lure the unsuspecting fish towards them, then quickly clamp onto the head of the host fish and pump the glochidia larvae into their gills. The primary confirmed host fish for Epioblasma triquetra was found to be the common logperch, due to it being able to survive this violent encounter.[4][5]

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References
  1. "Comprehensive Report Species - Epioblasma triquetra".
  2. COSEWIC. 2005. Canadian Species at Risk. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. 64 pp., page 13.
  3. Johnson, R.I. (1978). "Systematics and zoogeography of Plagiola (= Dysnomia = Epioblasma), an almost extinct genus of freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae) from Middle North America". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. 148: 239–321.
  4. "Epioblasma".
  5. Stokstad, E (16 November 2012). "Nearly Buried, Mussels Get a Helping Hand". Science. 338 (6109): 876–8. Bibcode:2012Sci...338..876S. doi:10.1126/science.338.6109.876. PMID 23161968.
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