Ptychobranchus subtentum

Ptychobranchus subtentum, also known as the fluted kidneyshell, is a species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels.

Ptychobranchus subtentum

Imperiled  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Unionida
Family: Unionidae
Genus: Ptychobranchus
Species:
P. subtentum
Binomial name
Ptychobranchus subtentum
(Say, 1825)

This species is endemic to the drainages of the Cumberland River and the Tennessee River in the United States.[1]

Reproduction

All Unionidae are known to use the gills, fins, or skin of a host fish for nutrients during the larval glochidia stage. Ptychobranchus subtentum enclose their larvae in a membranous capsule that resembles the pupae of black flies. When a fish bites the capsule bait, the Ptychobranchus subtentum larvae are forced out through the mimic capsule's "eyes" and then attach to the gills of the host fish.[2]

Shell morphology
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References
  1. "Ptychobranchus subtentum". NatureServe. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
  2. M. C. Barnhart (1998–2006). "Fluted kidneyshell: Ptychobranchus subtentum". Unio Gallery.


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