Unionoid mussels of Canada

This is the list of species, with French and English names, from Liste des noms français révisés et des noms latins et anglais à jour des mulettes du Canada (Bivalvia; Familles: Margaritiféridés, Unionidés). (Martel, André L., Jean Marc Gagnon, Michel Gosselin, Annie Paquette, Isabelle Picard. 2007. Le Naturaliste canadien 131(2):79-84). The COSEWIC status is given for the species that have been evaluated by COSEWIC.

Superfamily : Unionoidea

Family : Margaritiferidae

Margaritifera falcata (Gould, 1850) -- Mulette-perlière de l’Ouest, Western Pearlshell

Margaritifera margaritifera (Linnaeus, 1758) -- Mulette-perlière de l’Est, Eastern Pearlshell

Family : Unionidae

Subfamily : Unioninae

Alasmidonta heterodon (I. Lea, 1830) -- Alasmidonte naine, Dwarf Wedgemussel (COSEWIC: extirpated)

Alasmidonta marginata Say, 1818 -- Alasmidonte rugueuse, Elktoe

Alasmidonta undulata (Say, 1817) -- Alasmidonte à fortes dents, Triangle Floater

Alasmidonta varicosa (Lamarck, 1819) -- Alasmidonte renflée, Brook Floater

Alasmidonta viridis (Rafinesque, 1820) -- Alasmidonte verdâtre, Slippershell Mussel

Anodonta beringiana Middendorff, 1851 -- Anodonte du Yukon, Yukon Floater

Anodonta californiensis I. Lea, 1852 -- Anodonte de Californie, California Floater

Anodonta implicata Say, 1829 -- Anodonte du gaspareau, Alewife Floater

Anodonta kennerlyi I. Lea, 1860 -- Anodonte de l’Ouest, Western Floater

Anodonta nuttalliana I. Lea, 1838 -- Anodonte ailée, Winged Floater

Anodonta oregonensis I. Lea, 1838 -- Anodonte de l’Oregon, Oregon Floater

Anodontoides ferussacianus (I. Lea, 1834) -- Anodonte cylindrique, Cylindrical Papershell

Lasmigona complanata (Barnes, 1823) -- Lasmigone blanche, White Heelsplitter

Lasmigona compressa (I. Lea, 1829) -- Lasmigone des ruisseaux, Creek Heelsplitter

Lasmigona costata (Rafinesque, 1820) -- Lasmigone cannelée, Flutedshell

Pyganodon cataracta (Say, 1817) -- Anodonte de l'Est, Eastern Floater

Pyganodon fragilis (Lamarck, 1819) -- Anodonte de Terre-Neuve, Newfoundland Floater

Pyganodon grandis (Say, 1829) -- Grande Anodonte, Giant Floater

Simpsonaias ambigua (Say, 1825) -- Mulette du necture, Salamander Mussel (COSEWIC: endangered)

Strophitus undulatus (Say, 1817) -- Strophite ondulé, Creeper

Utterbackia imbecillis (Say, 1829) -- Anodonte papyracée, Paper Pondshell

Subfamily : Ambleminae

Actinonaias ligamentina (Lamarck, 1819) -- Mulette ligamentine, Mucket

Amblema plicata (Say, 1817) -- Amblème à trois côtes, Threeridge

Cyclonaias tuberculata (Rafinesque, 1820) -- Mulette verruqueuse, Purple Wartyback

Elliptio complanata (Lightfoot, 1786) -- Elliptio de l’Est, Eastern Elliptio

Elliptio crassidens (Lamarck, 1819) -- Elliptio à dents fortes, Elephantear

Elliptio dilatata (Rafinesque, 1820) -- Elliptio pointu, Spike

Epioblasma torulosa rangiana (I. Lea, 1838) -- Épioblasme ventrue, Northern Riffleshell (COSEWIC: endangered)

Epioblasma triquetra (Rafinesque, 1820) -- Épioblasme tricorne, Snuffbox (COSEWIC: endangered)

Fusconaia flava (Rafinesque, 1820) -- Fusconaia jaune, Wabash Pigtoe

Gonidea angulata (I. Lea, 1838) -- Gonidée des Rocheuses, Western Ridged Mussel (COSEWIC: special concern)

Lampsilis cardium Rafinesque, 1820 -- Lampsile cordiforme, Plain Pocketbook

Lampsilis cariosa (Say, 1817) -- Lampsile jaune, Yellow Lampmussel (COSEWIC: special concern)

Lampsilis fasciola Rafinesque, 1820 -- Lampsile fasciolée, Wavyrayed Lampmussel (COSEWIC: endangered)

Lampsilis radiata radiata (Gmelin, 1791) -- Lampsile rayée, Eastern Lampmussel

Lampsilis siliquoidea (Barnes, 1823) -- Lampsile siliquoïde, Fatmucket

Leptodea fragilis (Rafinesque, 1820) -- Leptodée fragile, Fragile Papershell

Leptodea ochracea (Say, 1817) -- Leptodée ocre, Tidewater Mucket

Ligumia nasuta (Say, 1817) -- Ligumie pointue, Eastern Pondmussel (COSEWIC: endangered)

Ligumia recta (Lamarck, 1819) -- Ligumie noire, Black Sandshell

Obliquaria reflexa Rafinesque, 1820 -- Obliquaire à trois cornes, Threehorn Wartyback

Obovaria olivaria (Rafinesque, 1820) -- Obovarie olivâtre, Hickorynut

Obovaria subrotunda (Rafinesque, 1820) -- Obovarie ronde, Round Hickorynut (COSEWIC: endangered)

Pleurobema sintoxia (Rafinesque, 1820) -- Pleurobème ronde, Round Pigtoe (COSEWIC: endangered)

Potamilus alatus (Say, 1817) -- Potamile ailé, Pink Heelsplitter

Ptychobranchus fasciolaris (Rafinesque, 1820) -- Ptychobranche réniforme, Kidneyshell (COSEWIC: endangered)

Quadrula pustulosa pustulosa (I. Lea, 1831) -- Mulette pustulée, Pimpleback

Quadrula quadrula (Rafinesque, 1820) -- Mulette feuille-d’érable, Mapleleaf (COSEWIC: Saskatchewan-Nelson population endangered; Great Lakes population threatened)

Toxolasma parvus (Barnes, 1823) -- Toxolasme nain, Lilliput

Truncilla donaciformis (I. Lea, 1828) -- Troncille pied-de-faon, Fawnsfoot

Truncilla truncata Rafinesque, 1820 -- Troncille doigt-de-cerf, Deertoe

Villosa fabalis (I. Lea, 1831) -- Villeuse haricot, Rayed Bean (COSEWIC: endangered)

Villosa iris (I. Lea, 1829) -- Villeuse irisée, Rainbow (COSEWIC: endangered)

The Popular Clammer

a newsletter about freshwater Unionoid mussels in Canada

living Ligumia nasuta from Lyn Creek, Lyn, Ontario
August 2006. Green algae cover the posterior portion of the shell that usually protrudes from the substrate.

We launched The Popular Clammer as our report to the 2007 Ontario Freshwater Mussel Recovery Team Meeting. Our title comes from a political discussion in Walt Kelly's Pogo strip, in which the preferences of "the popular clammer" were contrasted to those of "our roisterers." If you think an electronically distributed newsletter about freshwater mussel research and conservation in Canada is a worthwhile idea, be sure that your activities, interests, and discoveries are adequately represented in further issues, which will be published when there's sufficient material assembled. We'll draw up a subscription list of those who let us know that they want to be notified of future numbers. Please submit plans and reports of conservation activities, accounts of events, abstracts of publications, results, stories, trivia, poems, comments, photos, etc. to me at Bishops Mills Natural History Centre, RR#2 Bishops Mills, Ontario, K0G 1T0. --Frederick W. Schueler bckcdb@istar.ca

Download issues of the Popular Clammer here:

Number 1: 6 November 2007 an inaugural issue, entirely about the activities of the BMNHC in the 2007 field season

preparation of the Popular Clammer is supported by Lars & Martha Karstad, through the Canadian River Management Society

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