December 17, 2008

Clubshell Mussel
By: Shannon Carpenter Endangered Species

Clubshell Mussel Information

Distinguishing Characteristics of the phyla and class
The phylum of the Clubshell Mussel is Mollusca. Some characteristics of this phyla is a
broad, muscular foot to move with, at least two pairs of main nerve cords and three in bivalves,
and a dorsal concentration of internal organs (visceral mass). picture by the U.S. Fish &
The class of the Clubshell Mussel is Bivalvia, also known as Pelecypoda. Some Wildlife Service
characteristics of this class are that they are filter feeders instead of using a radula to obtain
Classification of the
food and they have open circulatory systems.
Clubshell Mussel
Close Relatives Kingdom: Animalia
Close relatives in the same phylum as the Clubshell Mussel are squids, cuttlefish, octopuses, Phylum: Mollusca
snails, and slugs. Close relatives in the same class are clams, scallops, oysters, and of course Class: Bivalvia
other species of mussels. Order: Unionoida
Locations on Earth Family: Unionidae

Clubshell Mussels have been found in the East Fork and mainstream of the Tombigbee
picture by the Allegheny
River and occasionally from the Big Black River in Mississippi. This species is mostly located
in the United States. Front Environmental
Radio for Western
Habitat Pennsylvania
Freshwater mussels inhabit lakes, rivers, canals, and streams. These species of mussels
prefer clean, loose sand and gravel in small to medium streams and rivers. This mussel will
bury itself in the bottom to depths of up to four inches.

Position in the Food Chain

Both marine and freshwater mussels are filter feeders. They eat plankton and free-floating
microscopic creatures. They themselves are eaten by otters, raccoons, and by some species
ducks and geese.
December 17, 2008

Clubshell Mussel Information continued...

Reasons for Endangerment

picture by University of Michigan Museum
The Clubshell was once found from Michigan to
of Zoology Animal Diversity Web
Alabama, and from Illinois to West Virginia. Now
extinct from Alabama, Illinois and Tennessee, it
occurs today in portions of only 12 streams.
Reasons for its decline in the upper Ohio and
Wabasha watersheds have been due to extensive
impoundments for navigation.

Laws Protecting Species

Reproduction
Mussels reproduce sexually because
there are both male and female mussels.
Sperm is released into the water where it
then enters the female via incurrent
siphon. After fertilization, the egg goes
into the glochidia stage where it then
attaches to the gills of the female or the
gills of fish as parasites.
The 1973 Endangered Species Act replaced earlier
laws enacted in 1966 and 1969 that proved
insufficient to protect endangered wildlife. Congress
enacted the law to protect endangered and
threatened species, to conserve their ecosystems,
and to promote their recovery. Recovery of the
Clubshell would require construction of sediment
basins and selective dredging to limit siltation.

Interesting Information
Some interesting information on the
Clubshell mussel is that it can live up to 50
years old. As well as that, it was listed on
the endangered species list in 1993.

picture by U.S. Fish & Wildlife

Service
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mollusc
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bivalvia
http://dromus.nhm.uga.edu/~GMNH/gawildlife/index.php?page=speciespages/ai_species
_page&key=pdecisum
http://www.fws.gov/Midwest/Endangered/clams/clubs_fc.html
http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/Da-En/Endangered-Species-Act.html
http://www.alleghenyfront.org/img/contrib/northernriffleshell.gif
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/clams/clubs_fc.html http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/esday/
OHclubshellRiffleshell.htmlR
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/resources/Michigan_mussels/index_0030.html
http://www.fws.gov/Midwest/Endangered/clams/ILmusselAugment.html