Velesunio ambiguous

Velesunio ambiguous, the flood plain mussel,[2] is a species of freshwater bivalve in the family Hyriidae.

Velesunio ambiguous
View of the right valve of Velesunio ambiguous, from Ashley via Moree, Australia.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Unionida
Family: Hyriidae
Genus: Velesunio
Species:
V. ambiguous
Binomial name
Velesunio ambiguous
(Philippi, 1847)
Synonyms

[1]
Unio ambiguus Philippi, 1847
Unio balonnensis Conrad, 1850
Unio balonensis Lea, 1852
Unio vittatus Lea, 1859
Unio philippianus Küster, 1861
Unio (Alasmodon) evansi Adams & Angas, 1864
Unio danellii Lea, 1870
Unio daniellii Villa, 1871
Unio jeffreysianus Lea, 1871
Unio fairfieldi in coll. UMMZ
Unio ambiguus E.A. Smith, 1881
Hyridella australis E.A. Smith, 1881
Unio protovittatus Hale & Tindale, 1930
Velesunio balonnensis adjunctus Iredale, 1934
Velesunio balonnensis intricatus Iredale, 1934
Velesunio transitus Iredale, 1943
Velesunio mckeowni Iredale, 1943
Velesunio testatus Iredale, 1943
Velesunio ambiguous Graf & Cummings, 2006

There are four other cryptic species in the genus Velesunio (which all look similar to Velesunio ambiguous) in Australia.[3]

  • distribution map
  • Comparison of the size of Velesunio ambiguous with a man's hand. This shell is 85 mm long and 49 mm wide.

Distribution

Australia: Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.[2]

Biotope

Static waters.[2]

Life cycle

The lifespan of this clam is over 20 years.[2]

It can survive temperatures from around 4 °C to over 30 °C.[2]

Human uses

Velesunio ambiguous serves as a food for Australian Aborigines, although its flesh is tough.[2]

This species can also be used in fish ponds to filter microscopic algae out of the water.[2]

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References
  1. OZ: Freshwater Mussels of Australasia (beta). The MUSSEL Project Web Site: MUSSELpws, last updated 2 January 2008, accessed 10 March 2009
  2. 2007. Freshwater Mussels - Velesunio ambiguous. Environmental Remediation of Wetlands and Dams. Aquablue Seafoods. online, accessed 13 March 2009.
  3. Fawcett J.H., Hughes J.M. & Baker A.M. 2006. Conservation of the Australian freshwater mussel. Applications of Genetics in Freshwater Ecology, NABS Annual meeting, Anchorage, Alaska.
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